In an effort to promote safety and reduce inappropriate behavior, the Noblesville Schools Board of Trustees approved a new restroom design for the ongoing Noblesville High School expansion project.
Construction on the project began in January.
The new restroom — which will be inside the new academic addition — will have a fully visible hallway with a wall separating males and females; upgraded emergency alert sensors with a panic button; and vape sensors, among other features.
The design, created by the design firm CSO, was presented by Noblesville Schools Superintendent Daniel Hile after the board received feedback from the community.
According to school officials, the goal of the restroom design is to reduce bullying, fighting, vaping and smoking, drug use, graffiti, inappropriate relations, adults using student restrooms, phone camera usage and other non-intended uses.
Other options the board did not approve include adding a half-height wall in the middle of the bathroom or having one of the two restrooms be for males and the other for females.
According to a rendering of the approved design, the bathroom entry is fully visible from the hallway to allow passive supervision. Each stall has full-height walls and doors with vape sensors. The restrooms will have cameras outside of the stalls. The restroom is for all students, but the design includes a full-height wall separating it into sections for males and females.
The board also approved upgraded emergency alert sensors for the restrooms that can detect certain words and loud noises or commotion. They also can identify how many people are in a space. The sensitivity levels can be adjusted.
“We always try to think of ways to improve student supervision and safety, and so the real vision behind all of this that kind of led to CSO offering this as an option was in what ways can we help minimize places where students are not easily supervised and liable to get themselves in mischief?” Hile said.
In other business, the board approved a bid for the Educational Services Center Interior Renovation project that will create offices primarily along the exterior of the building. The bid from Myers Construction Management Inc. is $979,000. The funds for the project are from a 2021 bond after Noblesville Schools underspent on a tennis courts project.
The next regular board meeting is set for 6 p.m. March 19 at the Educational Services Center, 18025 River Rd. The board voted 3-2 in favor of changing board meeting times to 6 p.m. starting in March.
