High school is a time of growing up into the teenage world, a time when students find themselves and what they want to do with their lives, where the titles of “pre-teen” and “kid” are generally dropped and more respect and understanding come from teachers and parents.

At least that’s what’s supposed to happen in high school.

Instead, the students here at Greeley West High School are being treated as though they’re attending kindergarten, being told to use “potty passes.” These passes come in two forms.  The first is the pink lanyard pass provided to every teacher, which allows just one student at a time to leave the classroom.  The second version is even stricter, as some teachers require both the pink lanyard accompanied by little slips of paper that can only be used once.  When those slips are gone, no more using the restroom for you.

The age range of the student body at West is 14-19 years old. The students here, while being teenagers, shouldn’t be treated like little kids when it comes to the bathroom. With 1600 students attending this year, it’s a ridiculous expectation to have just one student go to the bathroom at a time. If the concern lies within the freshmen class and the freshmen students wandering the halls during class periods, then the rule should only be implemented within freshmen classes.