Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.

There’s something missing in the student restrooms at San Jose’s Del Mar High School — mirrors.

For the second year in a row, the five open restrooms are mirrorless, a decision the school’s principal said is an attempt to reduce tardiness and distractions caused by students crowding around mirrors, putting on makeup and touching up their hair.

Principal Diana Ngyuen said she noticed many students congregating during school hours in the student restrooms because of the mirrors.

“It just created a situation where students were really crowding in front of them and then using them as an excuse in order to stand in large crowds in the bathroom,” Nguyen said.

The school removed mirrors during the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year. Since then Ngyuen said she has observed significantly less crowding in the restrooms, which then has helped students get to class on time. She also said the number of students lingering in restrooms to check their appearance has decreased.

Katherine Merino, a Del Mar sophomore, said that it is kind of a struggle to not have the mirrors. She said she understands Nguyen’s point of view, but also thinks removing mirrors took away a privilege.

Another Del Mar senior, Sarah Niemann said having access to mirrors is important. “Sometimes in order for me to decompress my stress, I need to just like, look at myself like we’re OK.”

Other schools have removed restroom mirrors for differing reasons, according to news reports.

Rancho Cucamonga High School in Southern California removed its mirrors from the student restrooms because of vandalism.

A middle school in South Carolina took down mirrors because students were spending time in front of restroom mirrors making TikTok videos.

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However, Nguyen said using cell phones to record TikTok videos wasn’t a factor in the decision to remove the bathroom mirrors at Del Mar.

“No, I didn’t think about it in that way,” she said.

However, Nguyen also said that the removal of mirrors doesn’t solve all the problems with attendance and distraction.

“Removing the mirrors doesn’t change some of those situations, but it has had an impact,” she said.

The administration has not discussed bringing back mirrors to student restrooms; however, Nguyen said their absence is not permanent.

Brittany Pierola-Diaz is a senior at Del Mar high School in San Jose.