NORTH PORT, Fla. — Families are pushing North Port High School to expand bathroom access as the school tries to address 'security concerns.'
Multiple students and parents told FOX 4 that only two campus bathrooms are open. Stephanie Holtey said she is the mother of a North Port High School freshman with Type 1 diabetes.
WATCH: Students and parents call on North Port High School to unlock bathrooms:
Her daughter's accommodation plan requires bathroom access at all times, Holtey said, because she has to drink a lot of water to keep glucose levels down. But only two of the school's 16 bathrooms are open, Holtey said.
"It's really ridiculous," Holtey said.
A Sarasota County School District spokesperson pushed back on Holtey's claims. Communications Manager Kelsey Whealy said more than two bathrooms are open.
"All downstairs restrooms are open and there are restrooms of varying capacities located throughout the campus for students to utilize as well," Whealy said in an email.
Whealy said the high school did close larger bathrooms and restrict access at times. That's because of "students attempting to congregate in a confined area," Whealy said.
Lines can form during "peak times," Whealy said, as staff control the flow of students entering and exiting the bathroom.
Ongoing repairs to the school's HVAC system and science wing also restricted access, Whealy said.
Holtey said there is a bathroom open in the locker room and nurses office. But students have to be involved in sports to use the locker room bathroom, Holtey said. And there is only one stall in the nurses office.
On Friday, multiple students and parents told FOX 4 that only two bathrooms are available, including sophomore Alex Galloway. Galloway said it can take at least ten minutes to find an available bathroom.
Galloway said he and his brother filmed videos of multiple locked bathrooms on Thursday.
FOX 4 reviewed at least eight videos which appear to show locked bathroom doors across campus - including downstairs in Building Five.
North Port High School sophomores Janessa Rock and Jaylah Tuzicka also told FOX 4 only two female bathrooms are open on campus.
"They shove about 30 to 20 kids inside of one bathroom," Tuzicka said. "And it always causes problems."
Holtey said her daughter was late to class multiple times because of the bathroom situation. On Wednesday, Holtey launched a petition to open all of the bathrooms and hire monitors. Almost 700 people signed the petition as of Friday evening.
Holtey said she didn't speak with anyone from the school about why bathrooms are closed. But she believes the administration is trying to cut down on fighting and vape use.
"You could go in any period of the day and it's very likely you'll walk on on a group of people smoking," Galloway said. "You go into the bathrooms and most of the time the toilets are clogged because there are boxes and vapes in the toilets."
Whealy said the school recently made changes to deal with security concerns.
"Some larger restroom areas had to be closed at times due to students attempting to congregate in a confined area," Whealy said.
The school could make future adjustments, Whealy said, including a digital hall pass for students.
North Port High School has more than 2,500 students, according to the district's website. Sophomore Janessa Rock said students approached administration about the problem, but it doesn't feel like they are being heard.
"They just act like, well, it's you guys fault because you smoke," Rock said. "When really it's only a little population of the kids."
"But they try to make it seem like it's all of us," Rock said. "So they group us together, it's really frustrating."
Shortly before FOX 4's story aired on Friday, one parent shared an automated voice message from North Port High School Principal Shannon Fusco.
"Every student deserves a quick and safe access to restrooms throughout the day," Fusco said. "There are multiple ones open in different areas."
"We are opening more, and they are monitored," Fusco said. "We expect that students access restrooms only for their intended purpose."
FOX 4 asked Holtey what she thinks about the school opening more restrooms.
"More bathrooms? Great," Holtey said. "All bathrooms? Necessary."
