Originally published in print in November 2025. View print issues here.

Inhale and exhale — a routine calming strategy. Inhale your Blue Razz Ice vape; exhale your frustrations when someone is hogging the bathroom pass for their smoke break. 

From a Bear Witness Instagram poll of 256 readers, 55% of respondents indicated that they see other students smoking during class time and breaks. Additionally, out of 258 readers, 76% of students indicated that they are annoyed when their peers take the bathroom passes to vape in the bathrooms.

Students like senior Aliyah Dumo are often irritated to see others occupy bathroom stalls to smoke. Dumo gets annoyed when people take their time with the pass during class time, while she has to wait for her turn. 

“[I hydrate a lot] in class, and so when those drinks all pile up and I really need to use the restroom but someone’s gone for 30 minutes because they are in the bathroom vaping, it makes me frustrated,” Dumo said. “It just happens so much that I think it can make other people frustrated too.” 

Dumo says she doesn’t try to judge others’ habits, but she cannot use the bathrooms while others are smoking due to sensitivity issues.

“I have a really sensitive sinus issue. [Smoke is] not something I want to necessarily be around all the time because it gives me headaches,” Dumo said. 

Similarly, math teacher Meredith Allen also notices her students are often annoyed when their peers take the bathroom pass for long periods of time. However, the situation is also frustrating for her because there is not much she can do once students exit her classroom.

“If they leave for more than half a class period, I’ll mark them truant,” Allen said, adding that this doesn’t help the situation. “Oftentimes, those students who receive truancies don’t actually care about them.”

Most of the time, Dumo notices students huddling in the accessibility stall together or trying to squeeze into the smaller stalls. Some even stand on the toilet for more room. 

“It’s a waste of space, and it’s not even something we’re supposed to be doing anyway here, so I don’t see the need to take up space where [the stalls] can be used,” Dumo said.

English teacher Stuti Arora mentions one of the reasons students smoke is due to social pressure.

“If you have friends that vape, it’s really natural to do it yourself because sometimes it’s easier to say yes than no,” Arora said. “Then you just can’t help it if you do it often enough. It becomes a habit just like anything else.”

Allen offers a similar perspective with kids who are going through personal situations and turn to vaping as a solution. It reduces her students’ ability to concentrate in class. 

“It’s a cyclical problem. Students often have personal stuff, and then they’re self-medicating, and it increases the problem of focus. Students might already have issues with focus, but this exacerbates it,” Allen said. “It’s a symptom of a bigger issue of escapism and having vices to be rebellious.”

To reduce this problem, Allen said schools could educate students on the impact smoking has on young adults. Additionally, she suggests starting groups where students can help decrease the amount of students smoking.

“Education is a big piece of the puzzle [and] trying to educate kids about how [smoking] impacts them and creating lots of fun spaces for all students to be substance-free,” Allen said, adding to the ways schools can prevent underage smoking. “Building strong relationships with the adults on campus can make a difference.”

Arora suggests keeping track of students while they’re outside the classroom digitally. Students would log into a program to ensure that both the teacher and the office have a record of when they leave their class. This electronic hall pass could also allow more students to go to the bathroom at the same time since there wouldn’t be a physical pass holding them back.

“[When] they’re signing out on a physical paper, then only [the teacher is] aware of [the student leaving],” Arora said. “If there’s a kid who goes to the bathroom all the time or at the same time every day, there would be a way to keep track of it.”

Assistant Principal Todd Harrison sent out an email outlining the Branham administration’s new policy. Teachers officially discussed this policy during advisory on Nov. 7. The policy listed certain times throughout the school day that specific bathrooms are open in hopes of decreasing overcrowding and misuse.

“Closing select restrooms allows staff to better monitor student movement, ensure safety, and maintain restroom facilities in proper condition,” the email said. “This measure is intended to promote accountability, reduce disruptions, and restore appropriate restroom use. Restrooms will be reopened once consistent, respectful, and safe behavior is demonstrated.”

While both teachers say schools could do more to decrease the amount of students smoking, Allen points out that the best staff can do is provide a safe space for students rather than vaping.

“I’m not sure if it’s possible to prevent it. There’s not one solution. There’s just many ways that we can try to support kids and help them make better choices,” Allen said.

Illustration by Grace Ngo