Tagging in the restrooms have caused school administrators to close the mens’ bathrooms on the first and third floors.
The bathrooms will be closed for at least the rest of the week, and possibly until the perpetrator is caught.
This week, boys going to the bathroom may have to walk farther than usual. The mens’ bathrooms on the first and third floors have been closed due to vandalism. The bathroom on the second floor will remain open throughout the week.
The decision to close the bathrooms was made after various marks of vandalism were discovered by the night-time janitorial staff. Jay White, a custodian at Community, described the tags as squares with zigzags inside. The tags began as marker drawings but the vandal has recently carved squares into the walls of the bathroom. Kevin
Davis and Dean Jen Hein decided to close the bathrooms so that students could only use the second floor bathroom, which is within eyesight of the main office.”We closed the bathrooms so people know we are aware of it,” said Davis.
School administrators have not decided what the next course of action will be. The bathrooms will remain closed for at least the rest of the week and possibly longer while the problem is being investigated. “Right now, I don’t trust that students aren’t going to continue to damage the bathrooms that have already been damaged,” said Hein.
Davis explained that vandalism of this kind is not new, tagging had been going on at Community even before this year’s incidents in the art room and now in the boys’ bathrooms. “Since I’ve been here people have been marking all over the place but we’re now cracking down on it because we don’t want the school to look junky,” said Davis. The increase in severity and frequency of the incidents caused the administration to take preventative measures which are currently being implicated.
White has had to take time out of his usual schedule to clean the bathrooms almost every other day in recent weeks. “It’s one thing if students leave trash or paper, then you talk to them and forget about it. But something that you’re deliberately doing and vandalizing on purpose, that’s just rude to the school,” said White. “I don’t even know what the tag is but I’m sick of it.”
Vandalism first occurred earlier in the school year when the word “case” was painted in the art room. Dean Jen said that the issue “crept back up” after dissolving for a short two-week period.
In midst of recent budget cuts, some are worried that this event will damage Community High School’s reputation in the Ann Arbor Public School District. The janitorial staff has recently taken an 8% pay cut to prevent the privitization of custodial services. As a result of these destructive behaviors, custodians must put in more work for less pay.
These incidents reflect poorly on Community at a time when the legitimacy of the learning environment has been questioned. “There is a belief system about attending school at Community that’s being violated…it makes me very angry.” In light of recent budget cuts and discussions about Community High School, it is important for the school to be perceived in a positive way.
Students are equally frustrated by the continuous vandalism. “Community has loose rules and when you hear of people taking advantage of them it’s never a good thing,” said CHS junior Max Lewis. “It is just a group of people who don’t respect their school enough yet…they don’t realize how cool of a place this is.”
An investigation is currently being conducted to find the students responsible for the vandalism. The students caught will face possible suspension and community service along with fines needed to repair the damages. City police may also become involved in the restitution process.
Listen below to Jay White’s comments on the vandalism:
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