Parents confused after Jackson School District enacts bathroom lockdown

Phil Stilton

JACKSON, NJ – Parents of high schoolers in Jackson have had enough. School bathrooms have remained locked because other students have been vaping in the bathroom, officials confirmed this week.

Robin Friedman, a parent of a high school student in the Jackson School District asked district officials why bathrooms were being locked during a recent meeting of the Board of Education.

School officials responded by saying vaping has become a major issue in bathrooms, and that is why doors are locked,

Friedman said that because district officials are locking bathrooms, students are resorting to using the nurse’s office, and she’s concerned about healthy students coming into contact with sick students because of the district’s bathroom lockdown.


Superintendent Nicole Pormilli said the high school bathroom problem is a ‘challenging issue’ for district officials.

She said students were ‘destroying’ the bathrooms and the district does not have the resources to monitor the bathrooms.

“We have students making poor choices,” she said.

Friedman asked why the students who are not making poor choices are paying for those who do. She also cautioned against locking school bathrooms as they can be used as a safe space in the event of a school emergency. Students can barricade themselves inside the bathrooms in the event of a school shooting incident.

While some are clamoring across the country for gender-neutral bathrooms, in Jackson, parents just want to make sure their children can relieve themselves when they need to.

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