Boys' Bathrooms on Lockdown at North
A recent rash of graffiti in the boys' bathrooms at the school has forced administrators to lock the bathroom doors during the day.
The boys at North Middle School are learning the truth behind the saying, “A few bad apples can spoil the barrel.”
Recently, there’s been a rash of graffiti in the boys’ bathrooms at the school, and school administrators have decided to put those bathrooms on lockdown. On four separate occasions, North Principal Lynn Grimm said graffiti was discovered in a bathroom. Some of those incidents included what could be interpreted as threats and “inappropriate pictures.”
After each incident was discovered, Grimm said notifications were sent to parents.
“A couple could be interpreted as threatening,” Grimm said. “We’ve partnered with police and found the best solution for the safety of the school.”
Starting Wednesday, all the boys’ bathrooms were locked throughout the day. Male students must report to the health room where the bathrooms can be monitored easily. During lunch, boys will be escorted to the bathroom in groups of three, and will be the bathroom will be checked after each use.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this will cause your child, but this graffiti must stop,” Grimm stated in a notification to parents.
Grimm told Patch that teachers had set up a schedule to check the bathrooms before they were placed on lockdown. Teachers and janitors checked bathrooms on the hour for new graffiti. However, those efforts still had not curbed the illegal artists from sharing their work. The solution to lock the bathrooms was reached in conjunction with the Menomonee Falls Police Department.
The district is working collaboratively with the MFPD to investigate and prevent incidents like this from happening again. Next week, all students will participate in an educational homeroom activity to raise student awareness about the problem and its consequences.
“I truly believe that the feedback from the community at North supports that we are doing the right thing,” Grimm said. “Parent support has been wonderful.”
Grimm said the Parent Teacher Student Association would discuss placing more volunteers in the schools to monitor misbehavior in the schools, and check for graffiti.
There is also a reward out for identifying the individuals who were involved in the four incidents. If you have information about the incidents, call the MFPD at 532-8700, or Grimm at 255-8481.
Steve ®
1:26 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Start peeing in the hallways boys. Make them clean it up in retaliation. Or urinate in the principals office. Bet those bathrooms will be back open tomorrow. Oh heck just go in the girls bathroom and take a nasty dump, forget to flush.
Carl Engelking
1:44 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Don't think that would get the bathrooms opened any sooner. And the "forgetful flusher" is a true menace to society.
Steve ®
1:51 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Enough urine in the hallway will get old fast. I would just use the girls bathroom, punishing everyone for the few idiots never sat well with me. So how long are they going to carry on with this nonsense? Who's to say the artist doesn't reappear once they reopen?
The best way to catch a fool is to allow him to continue to be foolish.
Maybe we can send in a spy drone
Craig
2:23 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Why not just catch and punish the offenders?
Free up one adult male to monitor who goes in and out, spot checking after they leave. Hell he could even sit in a stall with the door closed, and Master Graffiti would be dumb enough to not notice.
Nuitari
2:21 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
On a related note, do kiddies still smoke pot behind the bathrooms in Village Park? I remember always seeing the dirtballs there as I got off/on the bus.
Craig
2:29 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
There is an alpha numeric fix for that-
K-9
A few spot checks by MFPD along with officer Bow wow would end that practice.
Keith Worst
7:36 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Typical. Now if we had armed people in the community running around the school with guns looking to get to the bottom of the situation this lock down would have never happened. Too many liberals afoot in the school system.
jerry mislang
6:37 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
I'm not sure what the Websters definition of graffiti is, but if it's senseless and iditioc writings, some of these comments could be classified as graffiti. At North, all it takes is one kid to create an article in the Patch. Hopefully they catch him soon.
TOM
9:18 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
And 90% of what comes out of washington DC
Mom / Neighbor / Friend
9:43 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
Definition of GRAFFITI
: usu. unauthorized writing or drawing on a public surface
So...regardless of the content, it's wrong. At the age of 12, our children can be prosecuted. Is it ok for my middle schooler to come into your home and draw on your bathroom walls? Absolutely not! Yes, children will be children...but I think by the time they reach middle school, they should know better. Maybe we need to start showing them that their actions have consequences instead of raising spoiled brats who think they can do what they want , just because they want.
Craig
12:18 pm on Friday, February 8, 2013
Amen Mom!
Steve ®
12:26 pm on Friday, February 8, 2013
Looking at the reports Carl posted a few weeks ago middle school aged kids are much more rowdy. Must be the puberty thing. If this was a girls bathroom being closed I guarantee you the support would not be so grand.
Nuitari
8:15 pm on Friday, February 8, 2013
Jerry is the king of graffiti in that case. Or maybe he wants to be in charge of bathroom patrol.
Rosemary
7:39 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
Congratulations to the princiipal !! Taking these steps is absolutely necessary when dealing with such a large number of kids. When actions such graffiti in the bathrooms at ignored or considered "child's play", it will be the beginning of an erosion of Menomonee Falls schools. I saw these things happen in another school district. It's a tough call for the administration, but this principal had the guts to make it. Wonderful!
Steve ®
9:21 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
You're a woman
TOM
9:03 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
The saying is spoil the barrel . Grapes are in bunches . Boys are resourceful most any tree or bush.will work
Mom / Neighbor / Friend
9:56 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
I think it's the best option they have at this point. Regardless of how "minor" the graffiti, there is clearly a problem. I'd rather see them lock up the bathrooms than have more of the tax payers money going towards putting someone on "Potty Patrol". Is it that big of an inconvenience? I think not...
Steve ®
10:16 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
The janitor on the payroll is there regardless.
Nancy W
11:23 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
There are several bathrooms at the school, the janitor may not have ability to be in all of them along with cleaning up the urine soaked hallways immaturely suggested. what aboutafter school hours? There are still plenty of kids around at that time. It takes a community effort and support.
Mom / Neighbor / Friend
11:28 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
Agreed, Nancy! I say we give Steve the duty of Potty Patrol, in addition to his job and daily responsibilities since he is so willing to come up with such grand ideas. Then we'll see how quickly the vandalism stops.
Richard
2:08 pm on Saturday, February 9, 2013
Too bad you can't put some of those cheap cameras in the boys bathrooms and catch the culprits rather than penalize all the males. What if there's a male that has colitis or a urinary problem, does that mean that every teacher now has to give out a key and check the bathroom after it is used. How ridiculous our society has become.
not a perfect person
7:50 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2013
It can become a health issue to hold it even if kids didn't have them before .
Should be a legal issue, can they lock down bathrooms in jail? This can also cause health issues
Pj
3:10 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013
Where are the parents, if you havn't noticed yet you're raising a bunch of spoiled brats that you give everything to. Wake up! children these days have no respect for anyone or anything. Just because you didn't get everything you wanted as a kid doesn't mean you give your kids everything! Parents have gotten stupid!
Richard
6:49 am on Monday, February 11, 2013
How true, Pj, the kids don't even have respect for their own bodies. Their dress is another issue, the leniency and lack of a dress code starting in middle school is telltale and ads fuel to the fire of disrespectful behavior.
jerry mislang
10:01 am on Monday, February 11, 2013
I believe there's a dress code at MFHS and I would be surprised if there isn't one at North. It's a shame they have to have one, but either the patents don't care what their kids wear or the kids change on the way to school. I do hope they catch what is probably one individual who is making hundreds of other good kids look bad.
Gofaq Uurslf
5:56 pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
Why are we all assuming it's a student? Could be a disgruntled teacher. Stranger things have happened.
James Sheldon
10:33 am on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Now the health teacher is giving my son a hard time if he has to go to the bathroom twice in one day. OPEN THE BATHROOMS BACK UP ALREADY. FIND THE CULPRIT AND LEAVE THE OTHER KIDS ALONE. What a joke, to punish all the kids, because they can't find the one troublemaker. Make this go away before lawsuits regarding privacy are filed!!!
Craig
10:54 am on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
If you gave your kid a hard time for urinating twice in eight hours, Social Services would be threatening to take him away for child abuse.
The boys should start going into the heath room 4 times a day, and create a headache for administration. Let them give them all a hard time and someone will file a complaint.
Kids with diabetes or other physical issues may need to pee more often than that!
I can't believe with all the administration in the schools, there is no one available to spot check the bathrooms and monitor for the culprit. I would make a phone call and have a serious discussion with the health room. I never knew taking a leak was a privilege and not a right.
Steve ®
7:59 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tell your son to go into the girls bathrooms or tell the stupid over paid health teacher to shove it. These public employees need to be put in their place. What is the health teachers name?