New School Rule: Bring Money If You Have to Go

Valencia High School is reinforcing its bathroom policies with cumulative fines. Since the policy for bathroom breaks during class has become stricter this year, the administration is introducing a mandatory fine of one dollar for every minute after your free allotted 10 minutes. This change is intended to discourage students from wandering around campus as well as spending too much time in the bathroom when they are supposed to be actively learning in class.

Under this new rule, each student will have a designated 10 minutes to use the restroom during class that is free of charge. But once a student goes over those 10 minutes, they will be charged one dollar per extra minute. For example, if a student spends 15 minutes out of class, they will owe five dollars that will be charged to their Infinite Campus accounts and will be expected to be fully paid off by the end of the school year. The school believes that putting a price on time out of class will make students or think twice about taking long or unnecessary bathroom breaks.

There will be no exceptions for athletes, students with off-campus passes, or anyone who simply “lost track of time.” According to the rule, every minute counts. Teachers and campus supervisors will be expected to keep track of when students leave and return, and the total amount owed will again be recorded in Infinite Campus for each student. This policy applies to all students, and can directly increase the chances of your class gaining a class pet. As in the  Happy News article, the top 20 classes with no restroom fines will have a chance to obtain a class pet from the designated choices; the higher rank your class has, the higher priority of choices your class will have. 

In addition to the per-minute charges, the new rule also includes a penalty for students who don’t pay their fines by the end of the school year. Anyone who doesn’t pay their fines at the end of the year will be required to pay an additional $100 on top of their previous fines, and parents will also be notified. This fine is also a way of prevention of vandalism in the bathrooms, in hopes of always having the bathrooms open. So stay in class and keep learning, Vikings!

Happy April Fools'!