Sweetwater ISD Severely Limits Student Bathroom Breaks After TikTok Challenge Damage

SWEETWATER, TX –– After a TikTok challenge led to several incidents of vandalism in Sweetwater schools, the district has announced changes to its restroom policy.

"We have had some pretty intense vandalism of ripping the soap dispensers off the walls, tearing the lights down out of the ceiling,'' said Sweetwater Superintendent Dr. Drew Howard.“So you know when things like that happen, it becomes a safety hazard for students.”

The new policy states students will be allowed six-bathroom passes per six weeks during class time. Students will only be allowed to use one pass per day.

According to Howard, even though some parents have expressed their concerns about the new rule –– the updated policy does not infringe on students' rights.

“How many times do students really need to leave the classroom beyond the normal times during the day where they can go to the bathroom?" said Howard. "So you know, for the students who don't abuse that procedure of leaving to go the back I don't think they'll see any impact."

Howard claims the updated policy will keep students in the classroom for longer periods of time focusing on learning.

“I think one maybe misconception or misinformation is that we're just locking kids out of all the bathrooms,” said Howard. “You know, if the bathrooms are vandalized, then they quite possibly are shut down until they're repaired and then reopened for our students.”