Reports of there being an absence of soap within student bathrooms has been a common occurrence at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, and students have expressed various sentiments towards the issue.

“It’s a rarity to find soap in the bathroom,” remarked senior Christina Dario. “I don’t use the bathrooms cause I know how disgusting it is. That’s why I haven’t been there in a while. I carry hand sanitizer. I wait till I go home to use the bathrooms, cause I know how disgusting the bathrooms are here.”

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, numerous illnesses and diseases within public environments—especially classrooms—can easily be prevented with handwashing using soap and water. However, the absence of reliable, constant access to soap has caused many students to have concerns over the general health conditions of the school.

Despite the fact that the conversation surrounding the condition of school bathrooms has been ongoing for many years, students expressed that the lack of soap has been alarmingly frequent in recent months.

However, there have been some cases where students feel that the issue has rarely affected them during the school day. Senior Arinze Okeke has found that he rarely encounters the problem. “[It happens in] a few bathrooms, once in a while. You have to go to a different bathroom. It’s not that big of an issue, it happens rarely.”

Surprisingly, it has not been the first time the issue of no soap has been brought up addressing public schools within the state. According to the Maryland State Department of Education, public schools are not required to provide soap for students in the school environment. The topic raises questions of the health standards in Maryland schools, as well as the full extent of measures taken for the overall health of the student body. “It’s a health concern. There’s no soap, [therefore] we’re not washing off disgusting germs,” Dario said. “They’re focusing on other stuff other than our wellbeing.”

Although the problem continues to persist, students have made suggestions towards temporary solutions. Senior Naomi Ward suggests students take matters into their own hands. “I think everybody should carry hand sanitizer,” she stated. Students remain hopeful that the issue will be resolved in the future.