Parents outraged after school removes wall from girls' toilet 'to stop pupils smoking'

Outraged parents are keeping their children at home in protest of their high school’s decision to remove the front wall of a girls’ toilet block.

St Mary’s College in Wallasey, UK, took the drastic measure in a bid to reduce truancy and smoking in the cubicles.

The students, however, say they are now in clear sight of at least one classroom and a CCTV camera.

Tara Hodgson, who has a son in year 9 and a daughter in year 11, said she initially thought the teenager was overreacting to the change – that was until she saw it for herself.

Pictures sent to The Independent show that the toilet facility’s doors are now exposed to an open corridor, and are in clear sight of at least one classroom and a CCTV camera.

After attempts to speak to the school failed, Ms Hodgson has taken the “extreme measure” of keeping her daughter home from school.

“If the problem is bullying, smoking and skipping class they could have approached it in so many other ways,” she said, noting that her daughter no longer feels safe there.

“My daughter was bullied in year 10 and that was in the classroom, the yard and the lunch hall, so thinking that taking a toilet wall down will stop it is stupid.

In response to mounting criticism from parents and global media attention, the school issued a statement saying they will be introducing a “modesty screen” to ease parents' worries.

“We recognise that the current outcome has caused significant concern to some students and parents,” the statement read.

“Consequently, we will be making a further modification to the adaptation to introduce a modesty screen within the toilets that will address the concerns expressed.”

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