Bathroom closures and areas of disrepair around the campus cause concern for staff and students due to nuisance, time and cost.
Vandalism, most notably in the boys restrooms, is happening on a regular basis around campus.
However, the severity of the problem all depends on one’s perspective.
Principal Doug Holland said vandalism and graffiti happen infrequently at MHS.
“I don’t see it as a tremendous problem on this campus,” Holland said. “It’s not to say we don’t have issues. There are instances where things need to be fixed, beyond normal wear and tear.”
Custodian Tina Smith said she sees the issue differently.
Both Smith and lead custodian Connie Brownell said vandalism takes place at Marshfield almost every day.
“Everything from tearing up the bathrooms, ripping down ceiling tiles, ripping up paper towel dispensers, toilet paper dispensers, punching holes in the walls, throwing chew all over, gum all over, breaking chairs,” Brownell said. “Just whatever they can do.”
Smith said when paper towel dispensers are broken, usually by being punched or kicked, it costs about $100 for them to be replaced. The students who vandalize, however, do not stop there. According to Smith, often times the paper towels are taken, shoved inside toilets and left for the custodial staff to clean up.
“[Vandalism] is worse nowadays than it was years ago. It seems like we have more vandalism now,” Smith said. “I’ve heard teachers from other schools say this [much vandalism] doesn’t happen at their school.”
According to Brownell, the destructive behavior that some students take part in leads to extra expenses for the school to deal with. For example, she said students have punched holes in the walls in the basement of the main building. Brownell said the school district then has to pay to replace the materials involved in the repairs as well as the maintenance worker who fixes it.
“What kids don’t realize, is they think it’s funny and fine, but it costs a lot of money to replace that stuff all the time,” Brownell said. “It’s taking money out of other things.”
Sophomore Kyle Yockey said he does not even use the boys bathrooms at Marshfield due to the amount of vandalism that takes place in them.
“I don’t use the bathrooms here. They’re nasty,” Yockey said. “People are not really considerate of their surroundings because it’s not theirs.”
According to security officer Todd Tardie, if students are discovered for being guilty of involving in acts of vandalism they can also find themselves responsible for the repair costs involved in fixing their destruction. Tardie said parents of the student vandals are contacted and families are expected to deal with the issue, rather than the school district having to foot the bill.
Tardie said vandalism is taken seriously and dealt with.
“When we see it, we take care of it quickly,” Tardie said.
Smith and Brownell both agreed students do not get away with
vandalism often.
“The cameras catch them,” Smith said. “They don’t realize there are cameras all over.”
Tardie, Smith and Brownell all agreed that though students may think vandalism is funny or cool, it often makes other people’s lives and jobs harder. Tardie said vandalism is specifically related to maturity.
“It’s a lack of respect,” Tardie said. “A lack of respect for your school, for property, respect for others.”
