California high school embroiled in debate over app that times students' bathroom breaks

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Students at one California school say they feel restricted by a digital ID app designed to track their time outside the classroom.

According to a local report, Fresno High School rolled out the 5-Star Students app to help monitor trips outside the classroom that borrow from instructional time.

Students, who are restricted to two, 7-minute bathroom trips daily, must plug their student ID number into the app in order for a countdown to begin.

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Students' bathroom breaks are being monitored by an app, according to local reports from Fresno, California. (iStock/SylvieBouchard)

"If the system detects fewer than 25 students campus-wide are on bathroom trips, the screen turns green and the countdown begins," The Fresno Bee reported. Students must return to class before time runs out.

If they go beyond that time limit, they could jeopardize their break privileges.

"If you have the tendency to take eight minutes in the bathroom, instead of the seven that you’re getting, ‘We’re gonna take away your bathroom,’" Fresno High student Oliver Buchanan told the outlet.

"Teachers are starting to get strict with it, because the app also helps the school realize what teachers are letting students go out longer," he continued.

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Fresno High School's policy limits students to two, 7-minute bathroom trips daily. (iStock)

But the report highlights some obstacles that could get in the way of a seamless bathroom trip – the stalls could be either mostly or entirely occupied, for instance, meaning students could have to wait in line. That wait could jeopardize their ability to return to class in time. 

Additional concerns stem from opponents speculating the app could be collecting student data and therefore infringes on privacy.

On the flip side, others have found some positive effects from the change, including social studies teacher Peter Beck, who said the policy has cut down on time students have spent socializing or loitering in the hallways.

Fox News Digital reached out to Fresno United School District for additional input via email, but did not receive an immediate response.

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One teacher, according to The Fresno Bee, reported positive effects of the bathroom policy. (iStock)

School districts have struggled to find ways to grapple with significant advancements in technology in recent years as they work to incorporate its presence in some ways while countering its negative effects in others.

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Some districts, for example, have voiced concerns over students' mental health due to the rise in technology that opened more pathways to minors using social media platforms.