Madeline Franklin

About the author: Madeline Franklin is a sophomore at Williamsville South High School in Buffalo, New York.

In an effort to prevent teen smoking on high school campuses, some school officials lock down student bathrooms when they become filled with cigarette smoke. According to high school student Madeline Franklin, this practice should be discontinued. It is unfair to everyone needing to use the restroom facilities, and teen smoking is likely to continue on campus regardless of locked restrooms. School administrators need to work on a compromise with teen smokers instead of punishing them, such as designating a smoking lounge for students and faculty alike.

Cigarettes and other tobacco products have been popular with adolescents since as long ago as the Civil War. After so many decades, it seems impossible to try to stop teen...