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Hamna Humanyou

Students leave their trash and leftovers around in the cafeteria leaving the custodians to pick up everything. It is necessary that Highlanders strive to keep the cafeteria clean and pick up after themselves.

Trash littered tables, missing soap dispensers, vulgar words painted across bathroom stalls and swearing at staff. At McLean, disrespect towards staff and school facilities has visibly increased, leaving staff members frustrated. The disrespect is evident in both the mistreatment of staff and the neglect of school property.
Staff Disrespect
Assistant Principal Emily Bradshaw has observed a persistent trend of students leaving trash in the cafeteria and at sporting events. The widespread problem contributed to the administrative decision to restrict student eating areas to the cafeteria and courtyards.
“We see [littering] at sporting events. We even see it in the cafeteria,” Bradshaw said. “It was one of the considerations for why we moved lunch into specific areas.”
Amparo Ballesta, the cafeteria head with over 12 years of experience at McLean, expressed frustration over the disrespect she faces. While rudeness isn’t an everyday issue, when it does happen, it’s particularly harsh.
“They cut the line [and] steal lunch. When we ask for attention, especially when the cashier asks for attention, they’re so rude,” Ballesta said. “They steal—it’s a behavior that’s so bad.”
This kind of disrespect creates a negative environment for both staff and students, compounded by a lack of basic courtesy when interacting with adults.
“When I tell somebody to do something, instead of saying, ‘Yes sir’, ‘No sir’, they go, ‘Why?’ In the way I was raised, that’s disrespectful,” Safety and Security Specialist Bart Bailey said. “Respect for elders was probably more ingrained in people in my generation. When you’re talking to someone, you should treat them with respect regardless of your station in life. A lot of times, they’re just playing to the audience. They’re doing it to look cool and to impress their friends.”
Facility Disrespect
McLean students frequently damage the school’s facilities, including bathrooms, the cafeteria and other areas, with vandalism ranging from graffiti on stalls to broken soap dispensers. These actions place an additional burden on custodial staff and strain maintenance resources.
“We have kids who will put graffiti on the bathroom stalls and rip off soap dispensers, oftentimes creating problems for custodial staff,” Director of Student Activities Greg Miller said. “We’ve had holes in the walls of bathrooms, and it [all] adds up to work that they really shouldn’t have to do.”
Replacing soap dispensers and paper towel holders due to vandalism not only reduces resources available for students but also adds to the staff’s workload.
“When I have to do work orders around vandalism, it takes about two weeks for the county to send them so we can replace them all,” head custodian Francisco Quintanilla said. “It makes it harder for everybody, and it’s out of control.”
Vandalism in the bathrooms remains one of the biggest issues, with students scribbling vulgar words and drawing inappropriate images. Addressing the problem requires helping students understand the consequences of their actions and their effect on others.
“A big part is about perspective. How do your actions impact someone else or the school community at large?” Bradshaw said. “For instance, if vandalism happens in the bathroom, we have to close the bathroom down for part of the school day, and it impacts other students’ ability to access the closest bathroom, possibly spare class time, etc.”
Both staff and students have voiced concerns about defacement and littering.
“The custodians already do so much in addition to having to clean up after our messes when we are all capable of cleaning up after ourselves,” junior Emma Greenberg said. “They’re just doing their jobs, and they don’t deserve the extra work.”
Potential Solutions
Addressing disrespect requires both a shift in mindset and a reinforcement of expectations by the school. Miller is optimistic that helping students understand the broader impact of their actions could play a crucial role in reducing disrespectful behaviors and fostering a more respectful school culture within McLean.
“What would be really helpful is if our students police themselves a little more,” Miller said. “If you see someone leaving trash, say something. Our custodians work really hard, and it bothers me to see them doing tasks they shouldn’t have to do.”
Although administration stresses the importance of keeping the school clean from time to time, Ballesta suggests that administrators take a more active role in reinforcing school policies and holding students accountable. Some argue that strengthening consequences for misconduct could help address these issues more effectively.
“The school has rules. But, sometimes, we don’t have time,” Ballesta said. “This is the security’s job. We talked about it with the administration, because they have to control the students a little more.”
Staff members hope that students reflect on their actions to foster respect for the school as a whole.
“All we need is every kid to take care of their own trash and this school would be so much nicer,” Miller said. “It doesn’t take that many to do the [right] thing to make a difference in the building.”