A growing wave of washroom vandalism at Catholic schools in Mississauga is forcing students to leave school grounds just to use the bathroom—some even resorting to taking Ubers home and back.
Trustees of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board raised alarms at their March 25 meeting, expressing frustration over increasingly unsafe and unsanitary bathroom conditions. Frequent acts of vandalism have left many facilities unusable, with broken doors, urinals, toilet seats, sinks, and mirrors becoming a regular sight.
“This is a recurring issue. Students are going home just to use the washroom, and some are even hiring Ubers,” said Trustee Mario Pascucci (Wards 1 and 3). “It’s disgusting—and it’s unacceptable.”
The issue, according to trustees, is widespread and not limited to a few schools. They say school washrooms have become hangout spots that foster bullying, vaping, and other unsafe behaviors—making them places students are afraid to enter.
Trustee Brea Corbet (Wards 9 and 10) emphasized that both boys’ and girls’ washrooms are affected, often remaining out of order for months due to the severity of the damage. “We’ve moved beyond inconvenience,” she said. “This is now a safety issue.”
Trustee Bruno Iannicca (Ward 7) added that parents are increasingly concerned about their children’s safety, urging the board to take concrete steps. “Kids will be kids, and a few will misbehave, but this has gone on for far too long,” he said. He proposed deploying bathroom monitors, similar to cafeteria supervisors, to patrol and report misconduct.
Board administrators responded by saying they would conduct a cost analysis to explore hiring additional staff to monitor washrooms.
While no specific schools were named, trustees affirmed that this is a system-wide challenge not unique to Mississauga or the Dufferin-Peel board alone—school boards across Ontario are grappling with similar issues.
As the board looks for solutions, students continue to be caught in the middle—missing class time or risking their safety to meet basic needs.