By Sakshi Venkatraman

News Editor

@oompapa1

Within the past couple of years, construction projects at Coppell High School have been an ever-present phenomenon. From a new gymnasium, to a new turf room in the field house, to a cafeteria that looks like the inside of a modern buffet, Coppell ISD is making an apparent effort to keep CHS great, academically, structurally and otherwise.

However, while students are utilizing and enjoying the new developments on campus, there are still areas of concern that often inconvenience the high school’s large population throughout the day. For amongst the modern, technologically savvy environment which CHS presents, there are a few areas of the school that have not been addressed for years.

These along with the fast paced, constantly changing design of the high school leaves everyone eagerly wondering: what’s next?

A direct example of these issues– the bathrooms, which have been untouched by machinery since long before the time of Mike Jasso’s tenure as principal.

In an investigation conducted by The Sidekick, on a given day, 19 percent of the sinks in all student bathrooms at CHS do not function, 19 percent of the stall doors do not lock, 15 percent of the urinals do not work properly and 11 percent of the toilets do not flush.

There are also often soap dispensers that do not contain soap.

“I think that the bathrooms need to be addressed sometime soon,” junior Rohina Aslam said. “They either don’t have locks or they don’t lock properly or they don’t flush properly. It’s really an inconvenience. It would be helpful to more people if [the district] addressed stuff that we use more commonly.”

Another potential next step, along with the bathrooms, might be the athletic locker rooms, which have not had any work done on them recently.

Varsity tennis player, Nicole Crumpler, claims the cramped state of the tennis locker rooms have caused further problems such as stealing, overheating and pests.

“The tennis locker rooms are absolutely tiny. There are well over twice as many students as lockers,” Crumpler said. “Everyone has to at least share a locker; some people don’t even get lockers and they have to leave their bags out in bag slots which are just spaces above the lockers. [This creates] a problem with people stealing or using other people’s rackets and shoes. We have had issues with pests such as mice and ants and the locker rooms often get really overheated because there isn’t good [air conditioning] in there.”

According to boys soccer coach, Chad Rakestraw, the lack of space and showers in locker rooms have been an inconvenience for coaches and players for several years.

In his first year at the high school in 2011, the boy’s soccer team, which consists of around 75 to 80 kids, shared a locker room with track, cross-country and Physical Education (PE). This problem persisted until his second year, when the team took over an old PE locker room.

“We still have 75 kids in a space that should hold around 30,” Rakestraw said. “During fourth period athletics, we have wrestling, PE and soccer all at the same time and we only have one toilet, one urinal and one sink for over a hundred kids.”

The biggest issue for Rakestraw’s team, especially during fourth period, is shower time.

“There is a [shower] line, that’s probably around 15 kids deep every single day just waiting on a shower,” Rakestraw said. “There are only around 7 working showers for all three locker rooms to share. The kids don’t have time to eat lunch. Sometimes they are eating on the run; sometimes they just go straight to class.”

The original bond plan that included the constructions on the field house and the new gym included new locker rooms as well with separate shower sections and enough space for all the sports.

According to Coppell ISD assistant superintendent Sid Grant, this aspect of the bond was cut due to a shortage of funds.

“My hope is that in the upcoming bond, that we can get [the new locker rooms] approved,” Rakestraw said. “Hopefully they can see the need for it and get behind it for the kids. I want to be able to walk [administration] through the locker rooms during the craziest time of day and show them what it’s like.”

Although these issues have not been addressed for years Jasso supports resolving the issues, especially if it involves the restrooms.

“If the question is bathrooms, I am in total support of [renovation],” Jasso said. “They probably, at this point, need to at least be repaired and probably renovated and updated.”

However, there is a lengthy process behind any decision made by the district, especially if the district is as large as Coppell ISD.

“Usually any district our size, before they would go forth and present their plan, they have to get input from all the people that would be impacted,” Jasso said. “I don’t think anyone would disagree with  [restrooms needing renovation].

The process to initiate change begins with the citizen’s committee, which includes parents and citizens of the district. This committee would tour the part of the building that needs additions or renovations. If the school board determines they need to construct or renovate something, it would go to a vote of the taxpayers called a bond election.

The wheels of this process are already turning. According to Grant, the CISD Board of Trustees is working with district administration to solve issues concerning student enrollment growth. They hope to hold the next bond election in May 2016 to determine whether the district can fund changes or renovations to the schools.

“These improvements and renovations to the existing CHS building, including any classroom additions and/or locker room repairs, would likely be a part of the same [May bond election],” Grant said.

According to Grant,  construction on the new gymnasium is projected to finish in November and then in five months the bond election is set to be held.

Students, faculty and administration may be in the wake of another change before too long.