The 2025-2026 school year at DGS has brought about changes for many. A large number of new policies were introduced with the hope that students would succeed, and many have been beneficial. The number of Ds and Fs has decreased by about five percent just this year. The cellphone, attendance, homework, and other recently introduced policies have all contributed to this.
However, the bathroom policy isn’t for the best of everyone because of its unintended side effects on the learning environment and on student health. For most students, the “ten-minute rule” is not ideal and should be changed.
It is true that lessons, work, group-work, or just assignments in general were being passed over or disrupted during previous years. In one of my classes last year, when there was a substitute teacher, I believe that over fifteen bathroom passes were written. It was definitely very distracting to see green pass after green pass filled out and hear the door open and close so many times…