Bathroom usage: Would you contact the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get reach for the principal to not care. So before this isuse makes youeven more frustrated, think about it....

Is your DD bathroom issue only because of "feminine hygiene". If so, it should not happen more than 5 time a month. Also, aren't the tardies counted per class? Is her bathroom visit at the same time each day? If so, a reasonable teacher should excuse at least one or two, especially if it's not being abused and the kid is otherwise a good and on-time student. This is a good learning opportunity for your kid. She doesn't need to thell the teacher WHY, just that she was waiting to use the bathroom.

I would tell my daughter to try and visit the bathroom earlier. But I am less concerned with a few tardies or unexcused absences. 5 minutes is not going to affect her learning that much - the average teacher does not start teaching critical material for a 9am class at 9am on the dot.

Also the administration probably knows the issue, because they can see the kids walking in the hall after class starts or waiting to use the bathroom. I'd save my "Mom handling my kids problem" email for a bigger hill.

No doubt in my mind that you're a man. As a woman and a mom, this is absolutely something i would bother the administration with. It's a great learning opportunity for the school to figure out how to manage the children's physical needs without punishing them. Enough is enough. Adults can do better than simply locking up bathrooms.

Suppose her daughter has a heavy cycle. At one point I could fill a pad in 40 mins. When I was younger before I went on birth control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Are you stupid? Nobody was carrying around disposable water bottles all day long, weirdo. Shut up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Yes. Teens can survive until 2:30 having “only” eaten and drank at breakfast and lunch. It isn’t some special ops mission to be able to mange going to the bathroom at lunch hour or passing if you need to. As you can see from the teachers chiming in, it’s a complicated problem that is beyond just couple kids, and isn’t limited to only vandalism. Schools try to limit access to passing and lunch and parents complain, schools try to discipline kids vandalising, parents deny and complain, schools try to limit kids who are seeming to ask for too many passes and are gone too long, parents complain. Schools can’t win.

Serious question, do you only drink liquids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I am an adult and I normally drink coffee at breakfast and sip water throughout the day. I normally need to use the bathroom at least twice before lunch, once right when I arrive at the office. Imagine what you would do if an employer told you you could not access a bathroom until lunch time.

This is unusual, PP - twice before lunch???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At McLean HS, there are a group of boys who hang out in one bathroom and deny entry to any other boys; they even post a “lookout” at the door. Probably vaping in there, or maybe sneaking their girlfriends in for a BJ during a skipped class.

The schools need to actually discipline the kids and then these things wouldn’t be problems anymore.

+1. Are there absolutely no teachers in nearby classrooms or administrators walking the halls who could force the boys denying entrance to the bathrooms to step aside? It sounds as though teachers never leave their classrooms and administrators never leave their offices based on the amount of power students have to close the bathrooms.

Those boys would complain to mommy and mommy would lash out at the teacher. You know it's true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At McLean HS, there are a group of boys who hang out in one bathroom and deny entry to any other boys; they even post a “lookout” at the door. Probably vaping in there, or maybe sneaking their girlfriends in for a BJ during a skipped class.

The schools need to actually discipline the kids and then these things wouldn’t be problems anymore.

+1. Are there absolutely no teachers in nearby classrooms or administrators walking the halls who could force the boys denying entrance to the bathrooms to step aside? It sounds as though teachers never leave their classrooms and administrators never leave their offices based on the amount of power students have to close the bathrooms.

Those boys would complain to mommy and mommy would lash out at the teacher. You know it's true.

Complain to mommy about what? A teacher demanding that entrances to bathrooms not be blocked by students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Yes. Teens can survive until 2:30 having “only” eaten and drank at breakfast and lunch. It isn’t some special ops mission to be able to mange going to the bathroom at lunch hour or passing if you need to. As you can see from the teachers chiming in, it’s a complicated problem that is beyond just couple kids, and isn’t limited to only vandalism. Schools try to limit access to passing and lunch and parents complain, schools try to discipline kids vandalising, parents deny and complain, schools try to limit kids who are seeming to ask for too many passes and are gone too long, parents complain. Schools can’t win.

Serious question, do you only drink liquids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I am an adult and I normally drink coffee at breakfast and sip water throughout the day. I normally need to use the bathroom at least twice before lunch, once right when I arrive at the office. Imagine what you would do if an employer told you you could not access a bathroom until lunch time.

This is unusual, PP - twice before lunch???

I can’t tell if people are being needlessly dumb about this, but do most folks not take a morning poop? I normally need to “go” about an hour after I finish breakfast/morning coffee, and then maybe pee once more soon before lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Are you stupid? Nobody was carrying around disposable water bottles all day long, weirdo. Shut up.

Most people absolutely took a disposable plastic water bottle to school, what are you talking about? Maybe your parents did not care enough to provide you food and water but this was definitely a normal thing at that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get reach for the principal to not care. So before this isuse makes youeven more frustrated, think about it....

Is your DD bathroom issue only because of "feminine hygiene". If so, it should not happen more than 5 time a month. Also, aren't the tardies counted per class? Is her bathroom visit at the same time each day? If so, a reasonable teacher should excuse at least one or two, especially if it's not being abused and the kid is otherwise a good and on-time student. This is a good learning opportunity for your kid. She doesn't need to thell the teacher WHY, just that she was waiting to use the bathroom.

I would tell my daughter to try and visit the bathroom earlier. But I am less concerned with a few tardies or unexcused absences. 5 minutes is not going to affect her learning that much - the average teacher does not start teaching critical material for a 9am class at 9am on the dot.

Also the administration probably knows the issue, because they can see the kids walking in the hall after class starts or waiting to use the bathroom. I'd save my "Mom handling my kids problem" email for a bigger hill.

No doubt in my mind that you're a man. As a woman and a mom, this is absolutely something i would bother the administration with. It's a great learning opportunity for the school to figure out how to manage the children's physical needs without punishing them. Enough is enough. Adults can do better than simply locking up bathrooms.

Suppose her daughter has a heavy cycle. At one point I could fill a pad in 40 mins. When I was younger before I went on birth control.

*I* have a heavy cycle. I have to empty my menstrual cup every 1-2 hours. If I dont the suction will fail and 60ml of blood will flood my panties all at once

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Yes. Teens can survive until 2:30 having “only” eaten and drank at breakfast and lunch. It isn’t some special ops mission to be able to mange going to the bathroom at lunch hour or passing if you need to. As you can see from the teachers chiming in, it’s a complicated problem that is beyond just couple kids, and isn’t limited to only vandalism. Schools try to limit access to passing and lunch and parents complain, schools try to discipline kids vandalising, parents deny and complain, schools try to limit kids who are seeming to ask for too many passes and are gone too long, parents complain. Schools can’t win.

Serious question, do you only drink liquids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I am an adult and I normally drink coffee at breakfast and sip water throughout the day. I normally need to use the bathroom at least twice before lunch, once right when I arrive at the office. Imagine what you would do if an employer told you you could not access a bathroom until lunch time.

This is unusual, PP - twice before lunch???

I can’t tell if people are being needlessly dumb about this, but do most folks not take a morning poop? I normally need to “go” about an hour after I finish breakfast/morning coffee, and then maybe pee once more soon before lunch.

How are we even discussing poop habits?!?!?!?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Are you stupid? Nobody was carrying around disposable water bottles all day long, weirdo. Shut up.

Class of 98 and we started with Clearly Canadians as the status bottle and ended with Poland Springs. Lots of peach tea Snapple in between.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Are you stupid? Nobody was carrying around disposable water bottles all day long, weirdo. Shut up.

Class of 98 and we started with Clearly Canadians as the status bottle and ended with Poland Springs. Lots of peach tea Snapple in between.

Yes. At lunch. No one was carrying these around in class. It wasn’t even allowed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Yes. Teens can survive until 2:30 having “only” eaten and drank at breakfast and lunch. It isn’t some special ops mission to be able to mange going to the bathroom at lunch hour or passing if you need to. As you can see from the teachers chiming in, it’s a complicated problem that is beyond just couple kids, and isn’t limited to only vandalism. Schools try to limit access to passing and lunch and parents complain, schools try to discipline kids vandalising, parents deny and complain, schools try to limit kids who are seeming to ask for too many passes and are gone too long, parents complain. Schools can’t win.

Serious question, do you only drink liquids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I am an adult and I normally drink coffee at breakfast and sip water throughout the day. I normally need to use the bathroom at least twice before lunch, once right when I arrive at the office. Imagine what you would do if an employer told you you could not access a bathroom until lunch time.

This is unusual, PP - twice before lunch???

I can’t tell if people are being needlessly dumb about this, but do most folks not take a morning poop? I normally need to “go” about an hour after I finish breakfast/morning coffee, and then maybe pee once more soon before lunch.

How are we even discussing poop habits?!?!?!?!?

Because some school administrators apparently think that people don’t need to pee, poop, or change sanitary protection during an entire school day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Yes. Teens can survive until 2:30 having “only” eaten and drank at breakfast and lunch. It isn’t some special ops mission to be able to mange going to the bathroom at lunch hour or passing if you need to. As you can see from the teachers chiming in, it’s a complicated problem that is beyond just couple kids, and isn’t limited to only vandalism. Schools try to limit access to passing and lunch and parents complain, schools try to discipline kids vandalising, parents deny and complain, schools try to limit kids who are seeming to ask for too many passes and are gone too long, parents complain. Schools can’t win.

Serious question, do you only drink liquids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I am an adult and I normally drink coffee at breakfast and sip water throughout the day. I normally need to use the bathroom at least twice before lunch, once right when I arrive at the office. Imagine what you would do if an employer told you you could not access a bathroom until lunch time.

No, I don’t continuously sip water throughout the day. I definitely didn’t in high school or elementary school. No one carried water bottles or used the fountains regularly. Besides, it’s not even all day. School gets out at 2:30 or earlier. They are eating and drinking at breakfast and lunch. No one is getting clinically dehydrated in those hours.

It is absolutely crazy town to even begin to contemplate fluid restriction. Adding it to my list of reasons why I homeschool. This is literally abuse and nobody can tell me differently.

Not to mention, people have to poop (sometimes more than once a day!) and girls have menstrual cycles. This is abusive and unhygienic and sex-based discrimination.

Right?? Again I cannot believe some people are condoning this. Human beings need to eat and drink and relieve themselves. High schoolers too!

Female teachers also deal with limited time for bathroom trips when dealing with their period.

My son's school sent kids to the washroom in pairs (planned, one responsible student with one who may struggle) for a while to keep them accountable. Go, do what you need to, come back to class.

Pretty sure female teachers have more bathroom access than the students. They are probably not having to spend time running around trying to find a bathroom that isn’t locked.

No, I think one part of this that’s important to understand is that this has long been the accepted norm for teachers.

I have worked at schools with 80 minute class periods, 5 minute passing periods, and the nearest faculty restroom two floors down, with an inevitable line. So, the bell rings and you have 5 minutes to talk the kids who line up at your desk to ask questions, touch base with another teacher, walk down the hallway, past behavior like blocking the boys bathroom that is so egregious you have to stop and address it, get in line for a stall, realize there is time for one more person to go if you’re going to make it back for the end of the passing period, offer your spot to the 8 month pregnant colleague behind you and hold it until you can try again.

Now, is that the way it should be? No, of course not.

And does the fact that that is how it often works means the kids should be treated the same way? No, of course not.

But it does mean that a segment of the teacher population is thinking “we’re preparing them for the real world”, because in their experience that is what the real world is like.

It also means that when people suggest solutions like “teachers should monitor the bathrooms during passing periods” they get push back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Yes. Teens can survive until 2:30 having “only” eaten and drank at breakfast and lunch. It isn’t some special ops mission to be able to mange going to the bathroom at lunch hour or passing if you need to. As you can see from the teachers chiming in, it’s a complicated problem that is beyond just couple kids, and isn’t limited to only vandalism. Schools try to limit access to passing and lunch and parents complain, schools try to discipline kids vandalising, parents deny and complain, schools try to limit kids who are seeming to ask for too many passes and are gone too long, parents complain. Schools can’t win.

Serious question, do you only drink liquids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I am an adult and I normally drink coffee at breakfast and sip water throughout the day. I normally need to use the bathroom at least twice before lunch, once right when I arrive at the office. Imagine what you would do if an employer told you you could not access a bathroom until lunch time.

No, I don’t continuously sip water throughout the day. I definitely didn’t in high school or elementary school. No one carried water bottles or used the fountains regularly. Besides, it’s not even all day. School gets out at 2:30 or earlier. They are eating and drinking at breakfast and lunch. No one is getting clinically dehydrated in those hours.

It is absolutely crazy town to even begin to contemplate fluid restriction. Adding it to my list of reasons why I homeschool. This is literally abuse and nobody can tell me differently.

Not to mention, people have to poop (sometimes more than once a day!) and girls have menstrual cycles. This is abusive and unhygienic and sex-based discrimination.

Right?? Again I cannot believe some people are condoning this. Human beings need to eat and drink and relieve themselves. High schoolers too!

Female teachers also deal with limited time for bathroom trips when dealing with their period.

My son's school sent kids to the washroom in pairs (planned, one responsible student with one who may struggle) for a while to keep them accountable. Go, do what you need to, come back to class.

Pretty sure female teachers have more bathroom access than the students. They are probably not having to spend time running around trying to find a bathroom that isn’t locked.

No, I think one part of this that’s important to understand is that this has long been the accepted norm for teachers.

I have worked at schools with 80 minute class periods, 5 minute passing periods, and the nearest faculty restroom two floors down, with an inevitable line. So, the bell rings and you have 5 minutes to talk the kids who line up at your desk to ask questions, touch base with another teacher, walk down the hallway, past behavior like blocking the boys bathroom that is so egregious you have to stop and address it, get in line for a stall, realize there is time for one more person to go if you’re going to make it back for the end of the passing period, offer your spot to the 8 month pregnant colleague behind you and hold it until you can try again.

Now, is that the way it should be? No, of course not.

And does the fact that that is how it often works means the kids should be treated the same way? No, of course not.

But it does mean that a segment of the teacher population is thinking “we’re preparing them for the real world”, because in their experience that is what the real world is like.

It also means that when people suggest solutions like “teachers should monitor the bathrooms during passing periods” they get push back.

I mean I've been "living in the real world" since I graduated high school 20 years ago and the only time I have not had reliable access to a bathroom was.....in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe some of you are in favor of this. Bathrooms were inaccessible like this when I was in high school and I coped by not drinking any water at all during the day. I had constant anxiety about needing to use the bathroom and not being able to, and also a lot of headaches and digestive issues from being dehydrated.

That’s dramatic. No one in high school in the 90s early 2000s was carrying around a water bottle drinking water all day. We were all fine. No one was have digestive problems and headaches from not carrying around their Stanley all day.

It isn’t that I’m in favor or limiting the bathroom, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. You get 20-30 min lunch plus 5 min in between classes. Figure out when to fit in bathroom breaks if you need to. Most heathy teens don’t need to use the bathroom very often. Most teachers grant exceptions too. If this is a problem for your particular student then talk to principal or teachers. But it actually is a reasonable expectation for most students to contain bathroom trips to lunch and passing time- and most kids are fine with this

At that time most people were bringing disposable water bottles. Are you really saying it’s totally normal for a teenager to drink nothing all day until they return home from school and this unhealthy or fine? It was hard to go to the bathroom during the five minutes between classes because they would look the bathrooms, or only lock some but you never knew which would be open.
You all would riot if an office did this to you but it’s ok for teenagers?

Yes. Teens can survive until 2:30 having “only” eaten and drank at breakfast and lunch. It isn’t some special ops mission to be able to mange going to the bathroom at lunch hour or passing if you need to. As you can see from the teachers chiming in, it’s a complicated problem that is beyond just couple kids, and isn’t limited to only vandalism. Schools try to limit access to passing and lunch and parents complain, schools try to discipline kids vandalising, parents deny and complain, schools try to limit kids who are seeming to ask for too many passes and are gone too long, parents complain. Schools can’t win.

Serious question, do you only drink liquids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I am an adult and I normally drink coffee at breakfast and sip water throughout the day. I normally need to use the bathroom at least twice before lunch, once right when I arrive at the office. Imagine what you would do if an employer told you you could not access a bathroom until lunch time.

This is unusual, PP - twice before lunch???

I can’t tell if people are being needlessly dumb about this, but do most folks not take a morning poop? I normally need to “go” about an hour after I finish breakfast/morning coffee, and then maybe pee once more soon before lunch.

How are we even discussing poop habits?!?!?!?!?

Because some school administrators apparently think that people don’t need to pee, poop, or change sanitary protection during an entire school day.

right! this thread is making me question either my sanity or the sanity of others.