Rome School Removes Bathroom Doors to Flush Out Bullying

One central New York school is flushing out fighting, bullying and vaping by removing bathroom doors. The doors on both boys and girls restrooms have been taken off at Rome Free Academy.

Principal Brian LeBaron sent an email to parents with children at RFA in grades 9 through 12, informing them of the change:

Dear Parents,

This email is to inform all parents who have children at Rome Free Academy, grades 9-12, that we have removed the entrance doors to both the girl's and boy's bathrooms in the 1200, 2200, 1300, and 2300 wings. The purpose behind this removal was due to an increase in fighting, bullying, and vaping. The doors to the stalls remain intact, and there is no visibility into the areas of the bathrooms of student use due to the 90 degree angles at the entrances. We strongly believe that this will deter students from fighting and vaping as result of our increased accessibility to the bathrooms. Our goal is and will always be to eliminate all fighting, bullying, and vaping at Rome Free Academy and the removal of the exterior bathroom doors will make a significant difference in our overall management of these isolated areas.

If you have questions of any kind, please feel free to contact me. My office number is 315-3347202.

Will removing doors make a difference, cutting down on bullying, fighting and vaping that is a growing trend among teens? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

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