Reportedly, a middle school in North Carolina decided to take down its bathroom mirrors because more and more of its students were taking advantage of class time to record TikTok videos in the washroom.
According to the educational institution, students usually use the restroom three or four times a day on average. But there has been a steady increase—students are now using the restroom seven, eight, or nine times a day on average.
Spokesman for the Alamance-Burlington School System Les Atkins told Fox News that Southern Alamance Middle School in Graham, North Carolina, had to remove restroom mirrors in order to stop students from being distracted. "Students were going to the bathroom for long periods of time and making TikTok," Atkins said.
Mr. Atkins clarified that the school has noticed "fewer trips to the restroom, shorter stays, and students are held accountable, and when there's accountability, you see a great difference" since the mirrors were taken down.
"We're attempting to instruct students. As if everyone had a cell phone these days. We must acquire their utilization. We must learn when to set them aside," he stated on WFMY. According to Mr. Atkins, the educational system aims to teach students about "digital citizenship," as reported by Fox News.
School planning to introduce smart pass
Additionally, the school is introducing Smart Pass, a computerized hall pass system that, according to administrators, enables students to enter and exit classes. According to school administration, it's meant to help staff better monitor students' whereabouts at all times for purposes of safety and accountability.
The digital hall pass system is linked into the current software that the school and district already have access to, so there are no extra costs associated with it, according to the school administration.
