Schools implement video monitoring systems at bathroom entrance doors
In the small town of Frankenthal, a troubling trend has taken over Caroline High School. The headmaster, Christian Bayer, has revealed that students have been following a TikTok challenge, where wet toilet paper is thrown onto walls, causing severe vandalism in the school's toilets.
The city, along with the school management, took a decisive step to combat this issue. A camera was installed in the 'K-wing' toilet, following consultations with parents and student representatives who agreed to the video surveillance. The camera has been in place for a month now.
The vandalism became so severe that some students started avoiding the toilet at school, a situation that the headmaster finds unacceptable. Walls were sprayed with graffiti, feces were smeared, toilets were destroyed, and parts of the sanitary equipment were stolen.
The videos from the camera are stored for three days, and only the headmaster and the school's data protection officer have a key to the technical room where the video material is kept. The videos are always viewed according to the 'four-eyes principle,' with a second person present during the viewing.
The videos can only be viewed 'upon given cause,' as stated by Bayer. The name of the person who started the TikTok trend leading to toilet vandalism has not been publicly disclosed.
The attempt to beautify the toilets worked to a limited extent, as explained by Bayer. During the project week of the high school last school year, some students attempted to beautify some toilet rooms to deter vandalism. However, there is still toilet paper stuck to the walls of one toilet room.
Despite the video surveillance, there are other toilets in the school building that are not video-monitored due to data protection regulations. The headmaster stated that increasing the number of teachers on duty during breaks would not have made a difference in preventing the vandalism.
Interestingly, Michaela Kämmerr, the deputy parent representative, expressed concern about the privacy of students but stated that her daughter was not bothered by the camera.
Vandalism at the school occurs more frequently when students are particularly stressed, such as just before the end of the semester or the summer holidays. Bayer emphasised that it is not acceptable for students to avoid using the toilet all day due to the vandalism.
The city of Frankenthal, along with the school management, hopes that the video surveillance will help to address the issue and create a cleaner, more welcoming environment for all students at Caroline High School.
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