Florida school finds connection between tardiness, bathroom mirrors

This article was originally published by Wear News

By Hailey Samples

CRESTVIEW, Fla. -- Administrators at Crestview High School are taking steps to get ahead of bad behavior.

Staff says a recent uptick in property damage on campus called for a change in protocol.

Administrators at Crestview HS say they keep a culture of leadership on campus for its more 2,400 students, but there’s just one thing that gets in the way: tardiness.

"We can't give a student an education if we can't keep in the classroom," Principal Victoria Hayden said.

Hayden says it’s a challenge the school has been battling for the last two years. She says the goal is to cut back on numbers by 50 percent each year.

While they've hit the benchmark, Hayden says the tardiness is connected to another student issue in the school.

"They're spending time in the restrooms, not necessarily using the restroom, and one of them is using the mirror constantly, possibly sitting on a sink to get closer to the mirror, which causes breakage," she said.

Hayden says property damage and distractions lead staff to remove the mirrors from the boys and girls bathrooms on campus for the foreseeable future. There are still mirrors available for students to use in the hallways.

The bathroom mirrors came down about two weeks ago.

Since then, there have been fewer reports of vandalism and no complaints about the mirrors, according to school staff.

"They understand that we have to put things in place to continue to make our school the best we can make it, academically, socially, environmentally," Hayden said.

It's all part of Principal Hayden's "Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support" program -- or PBIS.

Students can receive bracelets for good behavior and redeem them gift cards and school merchandise. There's also positive postcards for staff to send home to parents and incentives for excellent attendance.

Hayden says each year, the school evaluates the program to find new ways to encourage students.

"Once we feel like we've done a good job and mastered the attendance concerns, then we'll move on to another behavior that might be in place that we need to work on," she said.

The school district provided WEAR News a full outline of the PBIS initiatives:

Student Culture Positives

• “Be the Change” Bracelets – awarded to students demonstrating responsibility, respect, or kindness; redeemable for small prizes or special recognition.
• R.E.D. (Respect, Engaged, Dependable) – embedded into expectations across classrooms, athletics, and activities to promote a consistent culture of success.
• Tardy & Off-Limit Reduction Focus – tracking and rewarding improvement in timeliness and adherence to designated student areas.
• Bulldog Bucks Classrooms– earned for meeting expectations, good citizenship, and positive contributions to school culture.
• Quarterly Recognition– for attendance.
• Positive Postcards – staff send postcards to homes for acts of leadership, kindness, or going above expectations.
• Attendance Incentives – recognitions and prizes for excellent or improved attendance.

Staff Culture Positives

• Bulldog Boosts – peer-to-peer shout-outs and encouragements shared through staff meetings, email, or bulletin boards.
• Monthly Staff Recognition – spotlighting teachers and support staff with small gifts, public acknowledgments, or celebrations.
• Positive Principal Notes – personal recognition from administration highlighting hard work and dedication.
• Collaborative Celebrations – team-building lunches, breakfasts, or events that strengthen morale.