A video showing a bathroom that teachers and staff at a New York high school are reportedly expected to use has sparked public outrage over its reportedly “disgusting” condition. The footage was shared by @mseliaschicgeek on TikTok, and she claims that a staff member from the school had sent it to her.
Besides the obvious hygiene issues, the restroom, which serves as a unisex bathroom for the school’s 21 staff members, is also being used as a storage space. Boxes, equipment, and other supplies were cluttered and crammed inside some of the stalls. Computer screens can be seen taking up space in one area of the bathroom, while cardboard boxes, including one that seemed to contain a food product, were stacked on top of each other and placed directly on toilet seats, rendering those toilets out of use.
“To make matters worse, from March 4 to March 8, the staff bathroom has been completely out of service. And the teachers were told to call 311 themselves,” the woman who shared the video said. She added, “Staff members have told me the bathroom smells and is in terrible condition, yet this is the only bathroom they are allowed to use during lunch.” The woman also claimed that the principal and assistant principal both have their own private bathrooms in the building.
She Called for New York Officials to Address the Situation
The woman, who is a retired teacher, also compared the state of the school bathroom to the one at a car wash where she was filming. The two could not look more like night and day, with the car wash restroom appearing clean and free of clutter. “It’s clean, it’s fine, and it exceeds all the basic expectations of a bathroom,” she said. “A car wash bathroom can be maintained properly. Surely the New York City Department of Education could provide basic working conditions.” In the video, she also called on the New York mayor to visit the school and see the situation firsthand.
Netizens React to the New York School Bathroom Situation
In the comments under her post on TikTok, netizens were furious to see the poor condition of the bathroom that the educators were designated to use. “Omg!!!!!! That’s horrifically,” one person remarked. Another said, “I wouldn’t go to work until this was fixed.” Someone else added, “Teachers everywhere are suffering !!!!! Helppppp.”
Some questioned why the supplies were being stored in the restroom in the first place. “Someone should just stack them somewhere else,” one comment read. Another viewer who was clearly disturbed by the possible food product left there wrote, “Chinese noodles in the bathroom! 🤮.”
Meanwhile, several people also thanked the retired teacher for bringing attention to the situation. “Absolute disgrace! Kudos to you for sharing this!” one viewer said, while another added, “Thank you for bringing awareness to this!”
