ANGOLA, N.Y. — Concerns about vaping have forced Lake Shore High School to restrict when students can use the restroom.
A parent and student contacted 2 On Your Side upset about the bathroom rules.
"They're only open for four minutes, and there's only three stalls, and there's, like, a line of people trying to pee," explained student Catherine Hughes.
Catherine Hughes, a sophomore at Lake Shore High School, told us if you want to use the bathroom during class, you have to get special permission and she says that the only restroom open during class is near the office.
"You pretty much either have to, like, hold it all day or go, like, all the way downstairs to the main office bathrooms, which is far away from the classrooms," says Catherine Hughes.
Last week, 2 On Your Side contacted several people from the school district to try to get answers about the bathroom rules for high school students. We heard back from the superintendent Monday morning.
Supt. Daniel W. Pacos declined our interview request, but in an email told us he thinks Catherine and her mom may have given, "...incomplete or inaccurate information."
Pacos says, "All restrooms in our high school are not locked during classes throughout the school day. There are certain restrooms in certain areas that are being locked during classes because of issues with students smoking and/or vaping in those particular restrooms. Those restrooms are opened during the change of classes, but there are a number of other restrooms throughout the building that are accessible throughout the school day."
So the superintendent says more than just that one bathroom is available during class.
The vaping issues at Lake Shore High School are not new.
In January of 2020, 2 On Your Side reported that students at the school would need a monitor to escort them to the restroom during class because of problems with vaping and vandalism.
Catherine Hughes thinks all of the bathrooms should be unlocked during school hours with some changes.
"They should either have, like, cameras outside the bathrooms and have, like, vape detectors so they know who's vaping and stuff so that they're open or have a hall monitor or something so they're not locked during the whole class," said Catherine Hughes.