Venice’s administration has reemphasized several ways for students to report things they see on campus against policy anonymously. 

There is a new QR code and form found on Schoology and around campus on flyers to report these incidents. These methods are being used to combat several fires being started around campus inside trash cans, said Principal Cynthia Headirck. 

This has led to several fire alarms going off throughout the past week, disrupting classes. 

According to Headrick, “Anytime there is a fire alarm, it is a schoolwide disruption. So for those students who are caught, they are causing a schoolwide disruption, as well as setting fires, which is against the law. Law enforcement, as well as potential expulsion, are the ramifications.”

Though cameras are not in bathrooms, administrators are using various camera systems currently in place and using personnel to investigate the students causing the fires, Headrick said. 

History teacher Ahsan Minhas has had his classes disrupted due to alarms and believes that fires are being set, because some students are upset about bathroom closures across campus. 

“From what I’ve heard, the trash can fires are mainly a student protest about the lack of bathroom accessibility and school policies,” he said. “It’s a big school, and there are not enough bathrooms open, that’s very clear.”

Minhas said if he were a parent, he’d be upset that his child is unable to use bathrooms and believes that using one is a basic human right. 

“I think admin’s hands are tied to a large extent because we don’t have enough staff to supervise and that has to do with the district,” he said.  

This was one of the causes that led to the bathroom closures in the first place.