A Big, Yet Small Addition--Unisex Bathrooms Give Students Comfort
By Dylan Edwards--Eagle Staff Writer
Sometimes the smaller decisions make the bigger impacts. Recently, unisex bathrooms were added to FCHS to help more students settle in.
“We have had three unisex bathrooms: one in Tech B, one in Student Services, and one in West Campus,” said Principal Jon Crutchfield. “But we’ve added new unisex bathrooms on the first floor of the Law building, two unisex bathrooms in Student Services, and a unisex bathroom in Tech D.”
People may think there’s a catch to using one of these facilities, but they would be mistaken.
“Nothing is required to use them and they operate the same as normal bathrooms,” Crutchfield elaborated.
He went on to further explain what these bathrooms look like.
“Some are different from others. Some have a urinal and a toilet. Some don't. It's just a matter of which one you go to. All of them are non-communal, so it’s good for those discovering their identity or those that would just like some privacy in the bathrooms. We just hope it’s made things more convenient," Crutchfield expressed.
However, more unisex restrooms may not be added for some time.
“We’re in the very early stages [of restroom renovation]," Crutchfield explained. "I think it’s about a several hundred thousand dollar restroom renovation plan [to be ADA compliant]. It’s just a regular restroom upgrade, which some bathrooms are scheduled for. However, we don’t know if these will give us any new unisex restrooms."
Nonetheless, he is not worried about these restrooms or upcoming renovations.
“We’ve had unisex faculty restrooms for a number of years, so they work fine," Crutchfield clarified. "We know students are using them, and we’ve heard no positive or negative feedback, mainly because we’ve only been in school for a few weeks. Students have already been using the older restrooms for years. We just had an opportunity to add more."
Those with further questions should email Crutchfield for more information.