Howard County schools can’t keep up with bathroom vandalism. Their solution? Lock them.

When you got to go, you got to go, but, as the new school year kicks off, many Howard County high schoolers are girding themselves to face locked bathrooms and the hunt for open ones in their schools.

Struggling with vandalism, including damage to sinks and clogged toilets that flood, as well as students vaping, many high schools in Howard County are locking up the facilities — and that’s upsetting some students.

Darshan Bhatt returned Monday to Hammond High School as a senior to face even stricter bathroom rules than last year. The 17-year-old had grown used to several bathrooms being locked around the school, but now during the lunch break all of them are locked save for those near the cafeteria.

“I feel locking the bathrooms is a Band-Aid fix,” Darshan said.

But incidents of vandalism are rising, according to school officials.

“Unfortunately, many of our schools — particularly middle and high schools — have been experiencing vandalism in bathrooms throughout the school year at an alarming rate,” Howard County Public Schools spokesperson Brian Bassett said in a statement.

Bassett insisted there still are bathrooms available for students in need.

“While there may be times that the closest bathroom to a classroom isn’t available, students are not denied opportunities to use open facilities throughout the school day,” Bassett said. “There are open bathrooms throughout the school available for student use.”

The school system leaves it up to school administrators to decide how to handle bathroom issues in their individual buildings. Limited staffing makes it difficult to monitor bathrooms, so administrators resort to locking bathrooms when issues arise, Bassett said.

Howard County isn’t the only school district facing bathroom issues. It’s a nationwide dilemma.

Several years ago, public school districts across the country saw an uptick in bathroom vandalism thanks to a September 2021 TikTok trend called “devious licks.” The viral internet term refers to students either stealing or vandalizing school property, most commonly in school bathrooms.

A video clip would feature students stealing bathroom soap dispensers, ripping sinks or urinals off the walls or breaking mirrors. The social media trend may be over, but the issue continues to plague school districts nationwide.

Struggling with graffiti and clogged toilets causing flooding, Cleveland City Schools in Cleveland, Tennessee, now has designated bathroom attendants in its middle and high schools. The attendants rotate in four-hour shifts, making rounds throughout the school day.

Closer to Howard County, one Montgomery County high school spent about $4.5 million to redo its bathrooms. At Quince Orchard High in Gaithersburg, students will now find more than a dozen new single-stall bathrooms, which boast vape sensors and are also private and gender-neutral.

Marriotts Ridge High student Aanya Contractor wrote up a proposal with a few friends to get vape detectors installed in their school’s bathrooms, but she knew it wasn’t feasible because of the cost.

Now a senior, Aanya, 17, said vaping in bathrooms has only increased in her years at Marriotts Ridge. She called it a “nuisance” to walk around the school, sometimes going up and down three flights of stairs to find an open bathroom. And sometimes, she said, it’s easier to not go to school.

Lindsey Doggette, a Wilde Lake High senior, said she is frequently asking her classmates if they know which bathrooms are open.

A newcomer to Howard County last fall, Kathleen Marasco was shocked to hear about the locked bathrooms at her children’s school.

“It’s disgusting and unsanitary” to not have them all open, Marasco said.

The mother of two Wilde Lake High students understands that the school is working with limited resources and hopes for a permanent solution.

As a lead custodian at Wilde Lake Middle School, Glenda Roberston is no stranger to bathroom plumbing issues. Due to short staffing shortages, bathrooms are more often than not locked up until a plumber can arrive and make repairs, she said.

“We have this issue on the daily,” said Robertson, who’s also the president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1899.

There’s graffiti, toilets being ripped up from the floors, vapes being thrown in toilets, and paper towels or clothing clogging them, Robertson said.

Not only does the vandalism shut down bathrooms, but it’s also very costly, Robertson said.

“I truly believe it gets worse as the years go on,” Robertson said. “I hope it gets better, but I don’t see it going away.”

Ben Schmitt remembers kids smoking cigarettes in the bathrooms when he was a high school student in Anne Arundel County.

“The issue has always been there, but what has made the issue so much worse is social media, specifically these TikTok challenges,” said Schmitt, the Howard County teachers union president.

It boils down to “kids being kids,” Schmitt said.

They aren’t thinking about the money wasted when they shove paper towels down a toilet, he said. However, he also wonders if parents understand how big the problem has become.

“We already have enough issues of deferred maintenance, whether it’s updated plumbing, mold remediation or something else,” Schmitt said. “It’s a shame it’s come to this.”

While students understand that school officials and custodians are in a tough spot, there are still frustrations.

“Students get away with a lot of stuff that at a certain point they should stop,” said Gavin Falcón, a senior at Long Reach High School. “Just respect the property, don’t break it.”

Banner reporter Talia Richman contributed to this story.