Lavatory Patrols Asked By Trustee

Ann Arbor School Trustee Cecil W. Warner urged last night that the Board of Education do something about the "critical problem" of assaults and other incidents in the public junior and senior high school lavatories. "There are many students in our junior and senior highs who do not use the lavatories during school hours because they are afraid of being assaulted or robbed, or are uncomfortable due to lack of privacy, or cannot tolérate the smoke-filled rooms," Warner declared. "This is not news to the board. We have known of continued incidents in our lavatories of assault, of robbery, of toilet cubicle doors being repeatedly torn from their hinges, and of the lavatories serving as smoking lounges. We have done nothing about it," he added. Warner urged that Ann Arbor teachers be asked to 'patrol the lavatories. "I challenge the Ann Arbor Education Association to be interested in the safety of the students," he said. School Supt. W. Scott Westerman Jr. said he could "invite" the staff to help patrol the restrooms, but they could not be forced to do it. The superintendent said he would be happy to draw up a plan for lavatory patrol, but warned this would cost money. Two other trustees also agreed with Warner's assessment of the problem. Trustee Richard M. Wood said he knows of parents who piek up their children daily to take them elsewhere to use a lavatory. Trustee Ted Heusel said many athletes use the locker room facilities instead of the regular lavatories. Westerman agreed there was a problem, and said some students do not use the lavatory from fear, caused by incidents and rumor. But many children continue to use the restrooms "without fear," he added.