Addressing the School Girls’ Bathroom Role in theRLN5 Upgrade
The rights of children to use mirrors in girls’ toilets has been threatened by theRLN5 (Restoration oflibrary Cafe Space) initiative at Christopher Whitehead Language College in Worcester. The school, which recently replaced mirrors in girls’ toilets with posters detailing household safety information, has imposed a policy requiring students to use mirrors if it appears they are in a girls’ restroom and to withdraw if they are not.
The school faced criticism from some parents, who argued that the change unnecessarily posed “extreme” and “strange” measures, strictly linking the decision to the need to avoidysSoon because girls in the restroom are becoming more “selective” or not handling their make-up properly.
One of the key concerns a school principal, Neil Morris, has made is that correcting this policy may lead to a “motational” message in schools, where children are told “after all the girls in the restroom, they’ll fall for girls because of their make-up,” which he rightly considers as an overreach.
Parents highlighted that mirrors as “necessary tools for restrooms and maintenance” but requested their removal since the policy “seems silly” and “extreme.”
Another parent, Karen, expressed surprise over the move, noting that “they just mirrors, aren’t they?” and argued that removing the mirrors would allow children to have more time to check their make-up and eyeline their Eyeglasses.
Child psychologists, Emma Kenny, and Hasui Hong Commented that while schools “have a right to set rules,” children must have an “intersectional impact on their lives.”
Overall, parents and school administration argue that the policytokenizes girls’ comfort with hygiene but more focuses on modifying the messaging for boys—despite girls’ toilet access. This reflects a struggle to balance student needs with school initiative aims.
The incident serves as a cautionary tale about the delicate balance of ensuring cultural relevance in school policies without compromising educational goals.
