There is a new restroom policy for the 2023-2024 school year at Rancho Cucamonga High School. Starting this school year, students are required to wear a lanyard when they leave class to use the restroom or get a drink of water.

According to Ms. Alyssa Castro, the assistant principal of discipline, the new policy is to provide consistency campus-wide. While RCHS teachers still have autonomy over their individual classroom restroom policies, this new change provides a uniform way for all RCHS students to be out of class and an easier way for campus officers to immediately identify nonstudents.

“I would like to achieve a greater feeling of safety on this campus,” Castro said. “I would also like to see a reduced number of students suspended or vaping.”

According to Castro, RCHS is a closed campus; however, in previous years non students have gained access to the campus. During the 2022-2023 school year, there was a specific incident that involved nonstudents being on school grounds. This new policy aims to add consistency to campus while also making it a safer place.

However, not every student is satisfied with the lanyards because students feel security is pressuring them to get back to class.

“I don’t like it,” sophomore Angelo King said. “One I just don’t like wearing, but I like them too because I don’t have to carry around a plunger anymore.”

For the new policy, every teacher on campus was provided two lanyards to use as restroom passes. The lanyards are color-coded based on which side of campus the teacher’s classroom is on and where the students are coming from: the east side has purple lanyards and the west side has black lanyards.

“I find it incredibly effective for campus officers and students,” Castro said. “A little inconvenience provides safety to ensure the best interest of our students.”