Grant High Students run wild: Faeces thrown at ‘walls and ceilings, and smeared over sinks’

A parent has lifted the lid on a disgusting trend at a public high school – students are using poo to trash bathrooms as teachers resort to locking up the loos during class.

A concerned parent has lifted the lid on a revolting practice taking place at a South East public high school, with students smearing faeces on the walls, ceilings and sinks of their own bathrooms.

The parent, who asked not to be named, has spoken exclusively to the Mount Gambier News about the shocking practice happening at Grant High School – one of two public high schools in Mount Gambier.

“Students are using the toilets to vape, and are also vandalising them. This includes faeces being thrown at walls and ceilings, and smeared over sinks,” they said.

Grant High School has come under fire for its response to students smearing excrement on the walls ceiling and sink of the toilets. Picture: Arj Ganesan

In response to the vandalism staff decided to lock the bathrooms during class, requiring students to sign out a key if they wish to use the toilet.

“With toilets needing to be locked during the school day, I’ve also been made aware of a number of instances where a child has been locked inside the toilets,” they said.

“Staff are having to enter the toilets and call out to children to ensure nobody is there.

“Of course some children are too embarrassed when using the toilet to call out and are subsequently locked inside, at times for more than an hour.”

Grant High School has come under fire for its response to students smearing excrement on the walls ceiling and sink of the toilets. Picture: Supplied

The parent said having a teacher enter the toilets and cubicles multiple times was “uncomfortable”.

“That’s a very private space for children — no child should have their privacy violated like that,” they said.

“Children are being put at risk, and I can only imagine the trauma that comes with being locked in a toilet or having an adult checking on you as you use them.

“Something more needs to be done, because the current system isn't working.”

A student from the school said she had been accidentally locked in the bathrooms as a result of the policy.

“It was just the end of the day — I didn’t hear them ask if there was anyone else in the toilets,” the girl said.

Describing the vandalism as “disgusting”, another parent said he had not received any communication from the school.

The parent said he wanted to know if the toilets had been cleaned properly given the biohazard risk and potential transfer of hepatitis, gonorrhoea and other diseases.

Grant High School principal Fleur Roachock said parents were advised of the situation in May.

“Toilet access during class time is via a key system – the toilets are unlocked during recess and lunch,” she said.

“Since the introduction of the key system the school has seen a significant reduction of vandalism.

“The school is aware of occasions where students have been found in the locked toilets and are believed to have deliberately remained in the bathrooms after breaks to avoid class.

“In these instances, disciplinary action has been taken for students failing to attend class.”

The school is reviewing the current process and expects to introduce a “key fob system” after the school holidays.

“This will means each teacher has a fob which can be provided to students to access the bathrooms during class time,” Ms Roachock said.