Bathroom at school: teacher said no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And my daughter peed her pants. She asked to use the bathroom and wasn't allowed. She tried holding it but wound up peeing her pants. Why do teachers do this? I called the school to make sure my daughter told the truth, spoke to the teacher and was told that there are two bathroom breaks per day and if they need to go when it's not a bathroom break then they must declare that it's an emergency. Unbelievable.

Seems like an odd policy, because it's not foolproof either - kids will learn to call it an emergency every time they want to go for frivolous reasons. So it gets back to teacher judgment. In any elementary classroom, the teacher is managing so many things simultaneously so I'd be less annoyed at the whole situation if I just thought the teacher had some empathy afterwards. Fortunately in the early grades, at least the other kids don't make a big deal of it since it's not uncommon.

[Anonymous]

What grade is this? We have a teacher just like this -- 2nd grade. Not the only problem we have with her....

[Anonymous]

emergency some kids have emergency every day........ Since they are females high schoolers I can't say no cause they might be on their periods

[Anonymous]

Is this a public or private school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to get the principal and counselor involved because that is appalling. If they don't take action I would write to the Superintendent and CC the principal.

If this is a Catholic school as another poster suggests, if you do not get resolution from school leadership, you take it to the bishop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:emergency some kids have emergency every day........ Since they are females high schoolers I can't say no cause they might be on their periods

Exactly. In HS I had the heaviest periods and would routinely end up at home a week every month as a result from the pain, plus I'd get nauseous, throw up, etc. Attempting to regulate bodily functions is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

No. It's not the schools policy to have two bathroom breaks a day, and even if it was, that's bs. A good teacher would stand up for the students right to use the toilet when they need to. What's so important that kids should have to "hold it in" until class bathroom break? Nothing is. How about you only get two bathroom breaks a day? Wouldn't like that, would you?

Well, except that isn't quite a fair comparison. Two breaks in an entire day? Go before school. School starts at 9:10. Lunch room at 11:35. A bathroom break in between and at lunch. So the MAX is that you would hold it about an hour if you went around 10:15. Then after lunch/recess, you get another bathroom break between 12:30-3:30 when school is over. So by my count, at any given time the most you'd have to hold it is about an hour or so.

So I'd say if the kid pees her pants in the morning, before the first break, its probably mom's fault for making sure she didn't go right before school. And if she pees in the afternoon, it is the teacher's fault for not insisting everyone use the bathroom when they have the chance.

I recall in public school in NY that the lunchroom ladies wouldn't let us leave the lunchroom to use the bathrooms. And I had lunch the period before last, and our last period teacher in 7th grade wouldn't let anyone use the bathroom claiming we should have gone at lunch.

My mother did a LOT of things wrong in her parenting, but she was fully on top of using the bathroom at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I'm really sorry that happened. She should know to say that it's an emergency if it is, though, especially if the schools policy is twice a day. I am a middle school teacher so it's a bit different, and sometimes students claim "emergency" when it's not. A teacher may say not right now and not know it's an emergency. I agree with the walking out if it's a true emergency.

I will never forget when I was in second grade and a classmate was denied going to the bathroom. She was wearing a dress and stockings, made a big triangle by spreading her legs and just peed all over the floor.

No. It's not the schools policy to have two bathroom breaks a day, and even if it was, that's bs. A good teacher would stand up for the students right to use the toilet when they need to. What's so important that kids should have to "hold it in" until class bathroom break? Nothing is. How about you only get two bathroom breaks a day? Wouldn't like that, would you?

Well, except that isn't quite a fair comparison. Two breaks in an entire day? Go before school. School starts at 9:10. Lunch room at 11:35. A bathroom break in between and at lunch. So the MAX is that you would hold it about an hour if you went around 10:15. Then after lunch/recess, you get another bathroom break between 12:30-3:30 when school is over. So by my count, at any given time the most you'd have to hold it is about an hour or so.

So I'd say if the kid pees her pants in the morning, before the first break, its probably mom's fault for making sure she didn't go right before school. And if she pees in the afternoon, it is the teacher's fault for not insisting everyone use the bathroom when they have the chance.

Oh for heavens sake. Kids can't control when they have to poop. You are ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I'm really sorry that happened. She should know to say that it's an emergency if it is, though, especially if the schools policy is twice a day. I am a middle school teacher so it's a bit different, and sometimes students claim "emergency" when it's not. A teacher may say not right now and not know it's an emergency. I agree with the walking out if it's a true emergency.

I will never forget when I was in second grade and a classmate was denied going to the bathroom. She was wearing a dress and stockings, made a big triangle by spreading her legs and just peed all over the floor.

No. It's not the schools policy to have two bathroom breaks a day, and even if it was, that's bs. A good teacher would stand up for the students right to use the toilet when they need to. What's so important that kids should have to "hold it in" until class bathroom break? Nothing is. How about you only get two bathroom breaks a day? Wouldn't like that, would you?

Well, except that isn't quite a fair comparison. Two breaks in an entire day? Go before school. School starts at 9:10. Lunch room at 11:35. A bathroom break in between and at lunch. So the MAX is that you would hold it about an hour if you went around 10:15. Then after lunch/recess, you get another bathroom break between 12:30-3:30 when school is over. So by my count, at any given time the most you'd have to hold it is about an hour or so.

So I'd say if the kid pees her pants in the morning, before the first break, its probably mom's fault for making sure she didn't go right before school. And if she pees in the afternoon, it is the teacher's fault for not insisting everyone use the bathroom when they have the chance.

Oh for heavens sake. Kids can't control when they have to poop. You are ridiculous.

+1 I hope PP isn't a teacher because she sounds like an idiot.

[Anonymous]

there is a special place in hell for teachers who don't let kids use the bathroom

[Anonymous]

This topic has always made me so mad. You spend months to years teaching your kids that they should always listen to their bodies and go when they need to go. Then they go to school.

Girls can get UTIs from waiting too long to go, and, honestly, once they get one, sometimes they keep getting them. It's not a cycle you really want to start. I got so angry when my daughter had to use the bathroom in kindergarten and she was told to go sit down, that I went in and had a meeting with the teacher. I even got a note from my child's pediatrician (who was appalled, by the way). I said, if she needs to go, she gets to go, I don't care what is going on in the classroom. I knew my daughter wasn't the type to abuse it, and she was actually trying to hold it all day. Absolutely infuriating.

Not to mention the children who go to the bathroom to do number 1, get back to class and realize, oops, I need to go number 2. I actually had a 1st grade teacher tell me that after teaching for 25 years she can "really tell who needs to go and who doesn't." I told her that I seriously doubted that.

This is not prison, guys, sorry. Let the kids go to the bathroom for goodness sake.

[Anonymous]

Did I miss the part where the kid pooped her pants? Actually pooped? If your kid feels poop coming out, and doesn't ring the emergency bell, I dare say her mother needs to teach her not to be treated like a doormat. And if it is the more ghastly and emergent diarrhea then why is she in school if she's sick? Either way that's a parental fail.

This is about preparing your child in advance. Teach your child what to do to advocate for themselves in your absence. Give them life skills. Kindergarten and first grade is not too young. There is an "emergency" out for this very reason. Teach them not to wait until the last minute (this you can practice endlessly at home) and teach them to tell the teacher they are about to have an accident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:emergency some kids have emergency every day........ Since they are females high schoolers I can't say no cause they might be on their periods

Exactly. In HS I had the heaviest periods and would routinely end up at home a week every month as a result from the pain, plus I'd get nauseous, throw up, etc. Attempting to regulate bodily functions is ridiculous.

You spent a week out of every month home "sick"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did I miss the part where the kid pooped her pants? Actually pooped? If your kid feels poop coming out, and doesn't ring the emergency bell, I dare say her mother needs to teach her not to be treated like a doormat. And if it is the more ghastly and emergent diarrhea then why is she in school if she's sick? Either way that's a parental fail.

This is about preparing your child in advance. Teach your child what to do to advocate for themselves in your absence. Give them life skills. Kindergarten and first grade is not too young. There is an "emergency" out for this very reason. Teach them not to wait until the last minute (this you can practice endlessly at home) and teach them to tell the teacher they are about to have an accident.

Unless the child is abusing it there is no reason not to let them go as needed. Emergency wording is stupid. Kids who abuse it will always claim it and those who don't will be too scared to use it.

Do you have to follow set bathroom breaks? Do you need to ask permission from your boss? If not STFU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did I miss the part where the kid pooped her pants? Actually pooped? If your kid feels poop coming out, and doesn't ring the emergency bell, I dare say her mother needs to teach her not to be treated like a doormat. And if it is the more ghastly and emergent diarrhea then why is she in school if she's sick? Either way that's a parental fail.

This is about preparing your child in advance. Teach your child what to do to advocate for themselves in your absence. Give them life skills. Kindergarten and first grade is not too young. There is an "emergency" out for this very reason. Teach them not to wait until the last minute (this you can practice endlessly at home) and teach them to tell the teacher they are about to have an accident.

You missed the part where the elementary aged child peed her pants after having an authority figure tell her no twice.