Starting this 2025-2026 school year, North administration and Graphics implemented a new policy restricting student athletes from leaving their bags in the graphics classroom on the first floor. Students are now only permitted to leave their bags and sports equipment in the locker rooms.
According to Tom Donnellan, “It was getting to a point where students were being disrespectful to the space, and there were over 100 bags sitting in the room at one point. It was too much, to the point where it was disrupting the flow of the actual class.”
Campus aide Mark Hernandez added that the excessive number of bags previously kept in graphics created an evacuation hazard, prompting this policy change. Additionally, the athletics department has begun storing its own equipment in Graphics, leaving limited space for students’ bags.
Students’ utilization of locker rooms for sports gear was previously “slim,” according to Hernandez. He said the new rule may have also been enforced to avoid wasted space.
PEHW department chair Courtney Albert added, “The locker rooms are an athletic space, Graphics is not. It is safer and makes more sense for students to use locker rooms. That is its intended use.”
Despite administrators’ efforts toward eliminating wasted space, student-athletes commented on the inconvenience of dragging their bags to the locker rooms when rushing to class.
“As someone who carries my weight in equipment to school, this is so annoying because going all the way to the locker room adds at least 10 more minutes to my trip. And what if I forgot something? It’s trapped there the whole day,” said junior Ava Esmonde.
In response to similar complaints, athletics director Michael Jackson said, “I understand the frustration around it, but the locker rooms are there for a reason. If it is that much of a deal, come to school five minutes earlier.”
The athletics department locks locker rooms from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45. Because they are strictly off-limits to students during the school day, student-athletes arriving late or leaving early do not have access to their belongings. According to Albert, since locker rooms are unsupervised, it was a necessary decision to close them off during the day.
Junior Mila Kostov said the policy has forced her to leave her bags in the hallway when arriving late to school. “I understand why the change was made, but my stuff can get stranded,” she added.
As this policy is new, students and staff speculate on its permanence. According to junior Sasha Selivan, the fall sports season is still in early stages, so teachers and campus aides are quick to reinforce the rule. She said that as the season progresses and more students face tardiness for “putting their stuff away,” strictness around the rule may loosen.
