As students, we are deeply affected by the current limitations on the use of Student Conductor passes, which restrict us to only two bathroom passes a day. Different passes such as counselor passes, nurse passes, office passes, etc are counted differently, but at the end of the day, two bathroom passes are very strict and cruel. If you tell the teacher it's an emergency, there's about a 50/50 chance that they'll let you go.

According to health guidelines by gynecologists, individuals menstruating often need to change sanitary products every 1-2 hours for health and comfort reasons. The current cap of two passes per day makes this near impossible, forcing many to endure potential health risks until school ends if teachers won't allow them to clean theirselves up.

Yes, students can techincally go to the restroom during passing periods or lunch, but one: during passing period, everyone else is trying to take a quick restroom break, so bathrooms can/will have long lines, and if a student were to end up late because of it, they'd have to get a tardy pass which could lead to disciplinary action if it happens too often. And two: lunch bathroom passes are already taken up so they would have to wait, or students are busy eating during lunch, so they might not have the time to go then.

It’s not just about menstrual cycles, though. Boys are just as affected as girls are by this policy. Doctors say that ignoring your body’s signals when it’s time to go to the bathroom is really bad for your health. It can cause serious health conditions like your bladder bursting, urinary tract infections, damaged pelvic floor muscles, kidney stones, and more.

Limiting conductor passes is a policy that does not consider the basic needs of students. Schools are meant to be safe and accommodating spaces where every student can thrive without unnecessary distractions or stress over meeting basic needs.

We do understand that the main reason the student conductor system was implemented was to limit unnecessary leaving of the classroom and to track students as they leave, which helps in identifying students who may be engaging in behaviors that are not allowed in school, such as vaping. The system does benefit the school in terms of improved monitoring and accountability.

However, to address the issues described above, we ask that the current restriction on conductor passes be lifted. Schools can implement alternative strategies to monitor and support students’ needs without the rigid limit of two bathroom passes per day. For example, allowing unlimited bathrooom passes each day, or bathroom passes for every class, but instituting consequences only if the system is abused, would ensure that students with legitimate needs are not penalized while still maintaining the integrity and intent of the monitoring system.