Law against teachers not allowing kids to go to the bathroom

[EmpMarine]

My son came home from school the other day telling me that when they were working in groups he ask his teacher if he could go to the bathroom. The teacher told my son "No you cannot go to the bathroom" My son then told her that it was an emergency and he had to go and still the teacher did not let him go. My question is "Is the teacher allowed to not let a student go to the bathroom?" and "If he just walked out and went to the bathroom should he get in trouble"

 

[UtahBill]

My son came home from school the other day telling me that when they were working in groups he ask his teacher if he could go to the bathroom. The teacher told my son "No you cannot go to the bathroom" My son then told her that it was an emergency and he had to go and still the teacher did not let him go. My question is "Is the teacher allowed to not let a student go to the bathroom?" and "If he just walked out and went to the bathroom should he get in trouble"

Well, what did the teacher tell you when you asked her about it?
If you have never taught kids, you have no idea what teachers put up with.
Get her story first.
Seems to me if it really had been an emergency, he should have come home with wet pants.
You want a law? Find out what school policy is first....

 

[SKILMATIC]

My son came home from school the other day telling me that when they were working in groups he ask his teacher if he could go to the bathroom. The teacher told my son "No you cannot go to the bathroom" My son then told her that it was an emergency and he had to go and still the teacher did not let him go. My question is "Is the teacher allowed to not let a student go to the bathroom?" and "If he just walked out and went to the bathroom should he get in trouble"

I think going to the bathroom is a god given right and should not be punished. Unless they are not going to the bathroom and goofing off.

 

[UtahBill]

I think going to the bathroom is a god given right and should not be punished. Unless they are not going to the bathroom and goofing off.

More info is needed. If this is a Jr. High, or High School kid, they get a break every hour and should be going then.

 

[JustMyPOV]

I have a vivid memory of being in the first grade and being told by the teacher, even after asking 4 times, that I could not go to the bathroom, and it wasn't until I had a wet spot on my pants that she reluctantly agreed to let me go. How ridiculous is this?

But on the flip side of this, how are teachers supposed to be able to tell the difference between a real instance of a child needing to use the restroom, and just a problem child trying to duck out of class for awhile? What sort of legislation could be drafted that would both protect a student's right to use the facilities when needed, but still keep students from abusing the law just to get out of class? This would actually be a tough one to draw up, except perhaps by expressing a sort of time limit on how long they can take, how often they should be allowed to go, etc... I'm not sure I need the government going to the bathroom with my child, so to speak.

I also tend to agree with the others who've expressed the sentiment that perhaps you should speak to the teacher, and if necessary, the school's principal to find out what happened, and what can be done to prevent it from happening in the future. When it comes to something such as this, I'd guess that you'd be pleasantly surprised at their willingness to work with you to resolve the issue.

 

[JustMyPOV]

More info is needed. If this is a Jr. High, or High School kid, they get a break every hour and should be going then.

Wow! Your school gave you a break every hour??? We had 4 minutes every 45 to gather up our stuff and get to the next class. (4 floors of school to cover, too.) And anyone who wasn't very tough or very popular knew better than to go to the bathroom at these times, unless they wanted to get their head dunked in a dirty, public toilet.

 

[paulmarkj]

My son came home from school the other day telling me that when they were working in groups he ask his teacher if he could go to the bathroom. The teacher told my son "No you cannot go to the bathroom" My son then told her that it was an emergency and he had to go and still the teacher did not let him go. My question is "Is the teacher allowed to not let a student go to the bathroom?" and "If he just walked out and went to the bathroom should he get in trouble"

I am a teacher of primary school children (7-11) and have also taught infants (5-7). The teachers' perspective is this: we are not tyrants, we want children to have a good, decent and comfortable environment to learn in. This requires a balance between many factors and the subject of this thread is an example of striking that balance.

I can give my own example. I was teaching the class mathematics (aged 5-6) and asking them questions:

Me, “how could you…..”
Pupil1 answers
Me, “No, you don’t call out, you know you should put your hand up”
Pupil2, has hand up.
Me, “Yes Emma, you tell us”
Emma, “can I go to the toilet”
Me, “Yes Emma, you may”
Joe’s hand is up.
Me, “Joe, what do you think the answer is?”
Joe, “Can I go to the toilet?”
Me, “Yes Joe, you may”
Albie has his hand up.
Me. “yes Albie”
Albie, “ Chelsea’s playing with a ruler, she shouldn’t be playing with a ruler”
Me, “Chelsea stop playing with the ruler”
Carrie has her hand up.
Me, “Yes Carrie, can you answer the question”
Carrie: “I need to go t the toilet”.
By this time the class is getting bored.
Me, “Nobody else is going to the toilet until break.”

 

[McWilliamson]

More info is needed. If this is a Jr. High, or High School kid, they get a break every hour and should be going then.

I go to a public high school in central Texas, and we get no such breaks. Our passing period is about 7 minutes long, and we have 4 periods per day. I personally am not willing to risk being held up in the restroom, and then getting a tardy. (Which is a stupid policy in the first place, for another debate.) My school is very large for its size, with about 2,000 students. If one person stops to hug someone in the hallway, a traffic jam is created. There simply isn't enough time or space to use the restroom if you have to go halfway across the school. My first period-second period passing time takes me from upstairs on the west end of school to downstairs on the east end. I speed walk to the other side of school, and I have been tardy once while doing it.

This might be a problem pertaining only to my school, but the point can be made that no one should be forced to use the restroom during a passing period. These hourly breaks you speak of sound like heaven.

Lunch is only 30 minutes long, and if you actually want to eat, you're going to sit in line from anywhere between 2 seconds to 20 minutes, depending on how fast you run to the line. Run.

Personally, I have a hard time asking a teacher if I may use the restroom. I feel like it's a completely asinine thing to say. "May I go to the restroom?" If they say no, I ought to have the right to slap them in the face, then sit down in my desk, and ask again in five minutes, repeating until they allow me to go. Nobody should have the right to restrict bathroom breaks in a school environment.

Now they're (teachers) are implementing this new policy. "We'll let you go...if you give us one of your passes..." These passes, which allow 2 restroom visits per 6-weeks grading period, (2? Holy-*self censored* what kind of *S.C.* is this?) can alternatively be used at the end of the grading period for an extra point on the 6-WEEKS AVERAGE. What kind of *S.C.* is THAT? "We're trying to teach them to use the restroom during passing period." Read my previous paragraph. Forcing restroom breaks during passing period is an idiotic idea in the first place unless you're giving your students 20 minutes to get to their next class. What does this REALLY teach? This teaches students to ignore their natural bodily functions. *S.C.*

 

[Grand_Debater]

Wow! Your school gave you a break every hour??? We had 4 minutes every 45 to gather up our stuff and get to the next class. (4 floors of school to cover, too.) And anyone who wasn't very tough or very popular knew better than to go to the bathroom at these times, unless they wanted to get their head dunked in a dirty, public toilet.

YES!!! I feel the same exact way I am a freshman at a rather 'stoner' type of school 1/10 are probably stoners well 1/15 or 20 but i have 5 mins to get to a class and you are pretty much screwed if you have to go to the bathroom and get your stuff out of your locker. I even keep my stuff in my backpack (yes it hurts) and my school now won't lets us going during the first 10 mins and last 10 mins of class and you now have to carry a bathroom pass. Do you know how much crud could be on that it is impossible to get into a bathroom sometimes because the teachers are lecturing so much.


Studies have been shown that if you hold 'it' for too long it could cause blatter problems and then you would have to ask more often and get yelled at to sit doen more

 

[Paladin]

I'm a middle school teacher in Des Moines, Iowa. When a student asks me to use the restroom, I tell them they can, but they have to serve 10 minutes detention for each minute they are gone. If it is a real need, they will go and when they show up for detention, I commend them for their responsibility and let them go with no time served.
If the kid is looking for some goof-off time, they opt out of using the restroom.
Kids may learn about not serving detention, but I have always felt that if you want a child to be trustworthy, you have to trust them. I trust the kids not to be dishonest, and they know that.
There are some kids who are pains in the butts, those ones have planners they need to sign in and out with and if they have used the restroom already that day, or several times before in my class, they don't go.
ted

 

[t125eagle]

its a fine line to walk. at my hhigh school, you had time between classes to use the bathroom. some teachers would let you go. most had bathroom passes, it was an index card. if you used it up during the course of the semester, you could no longer use the bathroom.

 

[Grand_Debater]

ok i can see that you can go to the bathroom like ten times a semester, but is that per class or just the whole school and thats like 3.5 x 5 and thats not very big but our school is making us carry a 8x12 sign and thats just over doing it

 

[Stace]

My son came home from school the other day telling me that when they were working in groups he ask his teacher if he could go to the bathroom. The teacher told my son "No you cannot go to the bathroom" My son then told her that it was an emergency and he had to go and still the teacher did not let him go. My question is "Is the teacher allowed to not let a student go to the bathroom?" and "If he just walked out and went to the bathroom should he get in trouble"

Going to the bathroom is a basic, necessary function. I don't think a teacher should be allowed to deny a child of that need. Holding in urine for prolonged periods can cause serious illness.

When I was in school, in the lower grades, we had bathrooms right there in the classroom and could just get up and go whenever we needed to. Of course as we got older, we just had the bathrooms in the hallways... a couple of my schools required a hall pass, but some would just let you get up and go, and there was no restriction as to how many times you could go to the bathroom.

In middle school and high school, we had about 10 minutes between classes to take care of business, whether that be using the restroom, going to our lockers, etc. But teachers were understanding and realized that the urge to go didn't always conveniently happen during those 10 minute breaks, and allowed us to leave class to go.

I find it absolutely ridiculous that a teacher would deny a child the right to use the restroom. I would definitely have a few words to say to that teacher....and possibly the school administrators.

 

[paulmarkj]

Going to the bathroom is a basic, necessary function. I don't think a teacher should be allowed to deny a child of that need. Holding in urine for prolonged periods can cause serious illness.

When I was in school, in the lower grades, we had bathrooms right there in the classroom and could just get up and go whenever we needed to. Of course as we got older, we just had the bathrooms in the hallways... a couple of my schools required a hall pass, but some would just let you get up and go, and there was no restriction as to how many times you could go to the bathroom.

In middle school and high school, we had about 10 minutes between classes to take care of business, whether that be using the restroom, going to our lockers, etc. But teachers were understanding and realized that the urge to go didn't always conveniently happen during those 10 minute breaks, and allowed us to leave class to go.

I find it absolutely ridiculous that a teacher would deny a child the right to use the restroom. I would definitely have a few words to say to that teacher....and possibly the school administrators.

As a teacher, I can tell you that children abuse this right. Some children just go because it gives them time out of class. Children know how to manipulate adults, they will find the strategies to disrupt that the teacher cannot deny
them.

A teacher has to make decision about whether the children needs to go or not, and sometimes the decision is no. I have said no many times, and the children have never complained nor wet themselves.

I usually let children go to the toilet, but if the 10th child has asked in 10 minutes, I put a stop to it.

 

[Stace]

As a teacher, I can tell you that children abuse this right. Some children just go because it gives them time out of class. Children know how to manipulate adults, they will find the strategies to disrupt that the teacher cannot deny
them.

A teacher has to make decision about whether the children needs to go or not, and sometimes the decision is no. I have said no many times, and the children have never complained nor wet themselves.

I usually let children go to the toilet, but if the 10th child has asked in 10 minutes, I put a stop to it.

I agree that there are some children that abuse it. And they're the ones that won't wet themselves. But if a child has a legitimate need, and you tell them no and they do wet themselves, then what?

I'm not trying to be patronizing, I really am interested in hearing your view on this, as I am planning on pursuing an English degree and perhaps using it to teach.

 

[paulmarkj]

I agree that there are some children that abuse it. And they're the ones that won't wet themselves. But if a child has a legitimate need, and you tell them no and they do wet themselves, then what?

I'm not trying to be patronizing, I really am interested in hearing your view on this, as I am planning on pursuing an English degree and perhaps using it to teach.

I think this comes down to experience. When I was new to teaching, I erred on the side of caution, until I realised the children were running rings around me, then I toughened up.

I still let 9 out 10 requests go because the children are well behaved and I think they genuinely need to go. So I suppose I still err on the side of caution; it is just those few times I say no. Of course, when the children realise you are tougher, they are less likely to try it on anyway.

The children need to learn as well. I have used a signing out book and then checked after a while. If a child is going out a lot you can talk to the parent and/or the child. Perhaps there is a medical problem, perhaps not, but at least you have checked and taken the issue a stage further.

In answer to your original question, I suppose I have to say I don’t know – it has never happened to me, I suppose I would have to reassess my judgement. I’ve always been honest and if I make a mistake I will apologise to a child – this is not a weakness, but a strength. In this case I would say something to the parents, who I’ve found to be supportive of teachers.

Also, don’t forget that children do sometimes wet themselves without asking to go out. Schools have spare clothes for this eventuality, so it is not the end of the world.

Sometimes as a teacher you have to be tough and take risks – and sometimes the risks don’t pay off.

Finally, I should say that when I was a child (5 years old) I wet myself in class once. It was embarrassing (I tried to hide behind a cupboard!) but I got over it.

 

[Mr. D]

My son came home from school the other day telling me that when they were working in groups he ask his teacher if he could go to the bathroom. The teacher told my son "No you cannot go to the bathroom" My son then told her that it was an emergency and he had to go and still the teacher did not let him go. My question is "Is the teacher allowed to not let a student go to the bathroom?" and "If he just walked out and went to the bathroom should he get in trouble"

Geez! The answers to the two questions are obvious! No, and No! Either the story was exaggerated by the student, or the teacher is a bonehead because a teacher will always lose doing that! A teacher should let the kid go to the restroom and then deal with any misuse of restroom in another way, such as contacting the parent! So, what did the teacher have to say? Obviously this should be handled by first talking to the teacher to verify what happened and get the teacher's side of it! Then, if that doesn't do it, talk to the principal!

Geez, maybe we could have another law about school restrooms or sue the school! Geez! How about a constitutional amendment? Geez! No wonder our kids have the attitudes about education they do! Everything is a big problem if it has to do with a school!

Geez!

 

[diomedes2012]

ok its a very simply solved problem. i know for a fact that if you get even 5 minutes of break between classes in high school that it is not enough time. once you have lockers it becomes near impossible to go to the bathroom between classes. but say for elementary students you go to classes in lines so you do not have an opportuninty to go between classes. this once again makes it impossible. if the teacher does not let the child go to the bathroom there will be an "accident" if the child does nothing. so in the case the teacher does not let the child go to the bathroom i say that the child goes anyways. if he/she gets in trouble appeal the problem to a higher person claiming that the child tried to ask and did not want to embarress themself with an "accident".

 

[Kelzie]

Jesus Christ! What kind of school did you people go to?!? I had 10 minutes between classes, and was never once turned down when I asked during class. In fact, most of the teachers didn't even make us ask. Something along the lines of "you're almost adults, it's time you start acting like it".

 

[diomedes2012]

Jesus Christ! What kind of school did you people go to?!? I had 10 minutes between classes, and was never once turned down when I asked during class. In fact, most of the teachers didn't even make us ask. Something along the lines of "you're almost adults, it's time you start acting like it".

the truth is that i still go to school. i go to high school and i know from firsthand experience what teachers there are like.

 

[Mr. D]

the truth is that i still go to school. i go to high school and i know from firsthand experience what teachers there are like.

Always remember, teachers are people! They make mistakes just like you do! If they are wise teachers they admit their mistakes to their students! That's a great example to students! I always admitted my mistakes and apologized when I blew it! My students didn't "nit pick" my actions because I didn't try to act as if I was perfect! I told them when they hurt my feelings and when I was in a bad mood, or angry, so they treated me like a friend and expected me to do the same with them! I told my students that they loved me and not to even try to deny it! At first they laughed, hooted and denied it, but after a while my saying it out loud broke the ice and allowed them to show affection and express it openly! When I'd get irritated with the class and get negative, kids would even say, "Come on Mr. D, you know we love you!"
:2wave:

 

[diomedes2012]

Always remember, teachers are people! They make mistakes just like you do! If they are wise teachers they admit their mistakes to their students! That's a great example to students! I always admitted my mistakes and apologized when I blew it! My students didn't "nit pick" my actions because I didn't try to act as if I was perfect! I told them when they hurt my feelings and when I was in a bad mood, or angry, so they treated me like a friend and expected me to do the same with them! I told my students that they loved me and not to even try to deny it! At first they laughed, hooted and denied it, but after a while my saying it out loud broke the ice and allowed them to show affection and express it openly! When I'd get irritated with the class and get negative, kids would even say, "Come on Mr. D, you know we love you!"
:2wave:

thats great i actually wish that some of my teachers were like that. if only they were able to accept their mistakes. i have to date only had one teacher who i really appreciated.