Topsail High bathroom vandalism prompts calls for accountability

HAMPSTEAD, NC (WWAY) — Some parents are expressing outrage over reports of vandalism in the boys’ bathrooms at Topsail High School, saying students need to be held accountable for their behavior.

One parent of a Topsail High School student, who wanted to remain anonymous, shared an image with WWAY showing paper towels and toilet paper strewn across a bathroom floor. The parent described the reported behavior as inappropriate.

“Just really gross things that are just really inappropriate and don’t make much sense,” said the parent.

Some students are also reportedly smearing feces on bathroom walls and flushing entire rolls of toilet paper, creating messes that can clog toilets.

The parent said accountability should start at home and encouraged families to recognize that their children may be involved in inappropriate behavior.

“An honest response would be to somehow take a step back and stop saying ‘My kid would never’ because every kid would; that is a lesson every parent should learn,” said the parent.

The parent also expressed frustration over what she sees as a lack of discipline and meaningful consequences for students.

“If I got a phone call from my kid going, ‘Hey mom, I did a prank, and it messed up,’ it puts so much emotional pressure on that child to learn that lesson, and it just, it doesn’t exist, and it drives me nuts. It really does. These kids are ‘Oh, you get a day of ISS,’ that doesn’t do anything,” said the parent.

The concerns come after Topsail High School experienced two separate sewage backups within two weeks earlier this year. Pender County Schools previously said both incidents were caused by items being flushed that were not intended for the plumbing system.

However, the district told WWAY it has not had any major plumbing issues at the school this school year.

In a statement to WWAY, Topsail High School Principal Dr. Michael Sasscer said:

“The health and safety of our students is our priority. Topsail High School has not experienced a major plumbing issue this school year. Scheduled maintenance is being performed to prevent future incidents by upgrading our system. The choice to vandalize school property disrespects staff, degrades our facilities, and compromises our safety. Vandalism grossly misaligns with the values of our school community.”

Pender County Schools also acknowledged concerns about restroom conditions in a statement which read:

“Pender County Schools is aware of concerns raised regarding restroom conditions at Topsail High School. The district is not aware of any major plumbing issue at the school this year. Recent concerns involving school restrooms have included instances of inappropriate student behavior and vandalism. When those situations occur, school staff respond by cleaning and restoring the affected areas and addressing the behavior as appropriate. Separately, district maintenance staff are scheduled to replace an existing pipe on the auditorium side of campus as part of preventative maintenance. Preliminary work has been completed to assess the scope of that project. Pender County Schools remains committed to maintaining safe, clean, and functional facilities for students and staff. Intentional damage to school property creates unnecessary work for employees and diverts resources from other facility needs.”