TP

February 1, 2021 

Re: Rationale for Rationing, Bathroom Time

Student safety and well-being is always front and center at Hemlock Middle School; as the building Principal, that is one of my most important charges, and I take it very seriously. 

We serve students who are not quite as independent as high school students, and yet are far more grown-up in many ways than they were a year or two ago as elementary students. 

We work at the Middle School, in part, to help students learn to become more independent, rational, and self-disciplined; that process, however, often requires procedures and protocols. 

In terms of bathroom usage, for years and years, we used student daily planners to help regulate the number of times students were out of class.  As you imagine in this day and age, the student planner is about as dated in 2021 as my old 1987 Sony Walkman. We simply don’t use them anymore and have replaced them with other modes. 

Recently, I have been helping students modify behavior here at school.  Within this mission, I have found a variety of problems (vaping among the shortlist) that they were dealing with.  These various issues all revolved around students not being in-class learning, and quite frankly, not being in the bathroom for the right reasons. 

I worked with the awesome staff here at Hemlock Middle School to problem solve, and involved student helpers to produce an instructional video to help roll this out in a funny and humorous way to the student body.

We have consistently rationed time out of class, so I did not perceive this new protocol to be something that would upset anyone. But now, I realized even more important in 2021; I should have sent this explanation out first as everyone may be a bit more sensitive and quick to rush judgment in the world we live in today.  

My sincerest apology as we work together to keep the students safe and focused on all the right reasons to be here at school. 

Whether it be with this or anything else, my door is always open. Feel free to give me a call at 989.642.5253 or email. I truly appreciate your patience and continued support as we work together to provide your children, our students, the best education possible. 

Sincerely, 

Josh Chase, Middle School Principal