UPDATE PG 2**My kindergartener wet his pants at school today..

[JasonLyons]

if I was him I would be so mad at you for posting this

 

[Dream]

Poor little guy! That just stinks!!! It is amazing how widespread this is though. I fought this at ds's school with the "cafeteria ladies from the black lagoon"! They HAD (notice the past tense) a policy where no child could go to the bathroom during lunch...they were to go before or after. I started a parents group to help out in the cafeteria and told them all...if they say they have to go , let them! When the cafeteria ladies complained saying "It is the child's own fault if they wet their pants...they know the rules!! EXCUSE ME???, I gave em an earful!!! The policy changed. Keep fighting Mermaid!!!

 

[Nancy]

If this was in your home and you told your child that they couldn't use the bathroom and made them wait people would be screaming child abuse! I would bring those 2 words up during my conversation with the superintendant...I would by pass the principal and go right to the top.

IMHO that is child abuse when dealing with a 5 year old and then to punish them after they do go!!! I'd be flipping out!!

 

[shortbun]

Probably one of my biggest problems with schools and
teachers. I've written a letter the last two years and
stuffed every teacher's box with it. My letter says that
ALL children should be allowed to go to the bathroom
whenever they ask and that my son is never to be
refused. My son has encopresis from holding it in
preschool(a teacher actually came in the bathroom and
took him out during a no potty time so he was afraid to
go in there from then on). Teachers don't realize how
much impact they have on children and how often
children mis-interpret what they are saying. We send
our children to school saying 'Obey the teacher" and
they pull stuff like this from a place of power. DH is
studying to be a teacher right now and there is NO
class in his curriculum covering the psyche of a small
child. There should be 10 of them. Don't get me wrong,
I think teacher do mounds of great things. They just
don't get that this is a health issue and endangers the
well being of the child both physically and psychologically.
Some kids need to go a lot and some kids take a long time
to go-I've seen teachers yell at kids for being gone long.
Hey-and when do teachers get to go to the bathroom!!???

 

[dianeschlicht]

When I was in elementary school, I had a bladder condition that would cause me to have a very urgent and unexpected need to use the bathroom without much warning. The teachers were told this, and I was allowed to go to the restroom without asking. If this had been done to me, I would have had a medical emergency, not just wet pants!

 

[Pooh93]

When 5 and 6 year olds say they need to go, they usually mean they need to go right at that second.

Agreed! That is absurd! Luckily, I've never heard of this problem at dd's school. And it is a catholic school. As a matter of fact last year I helped with a classroom field day at the school and the kids had gone to the bathroom. About 15 mins later a boy asked me if he could go again and I asked the kindergarten teacher and she said to let him go because they'd been drinking alot for snack that morning. I'd be all over the principal for that one.

I can't tell you how many times I had to get out of line at WDW because my 5 year old had to go right then!

 

[Boots]

{{{{HUGS}}}} I hope that today was a much better day! Things like this shouldn't happen.

 

[Kteacher]

Someone asked when teachers go to the bathroom.... I go at 3:07- right after dismissal-all the bathrooms are usually full then

 

[Mermaid02]

Okay.... I've had 2 days to think about this and I'm madder than ever. I really didn't believe this was a "blanket" policy.... it is. Kids may go to the restroom in gym (which is directly across the hall) BUT when they get back they have to sit in time out. My son obviously would rather wet his pants than sit in time out. My friend (who is a kindergarten teacher herself) said her son has had to sit in time out twice this year. The gym teacher said to me- "I only have them for 30 minutes, it's such a short time." That's right sister it is and YOU are not going to change any child's life- but wetting their pants in front of everyone might. I am going to speak to the Principal in person this morning and I am going to get this policy CHANGED.... my next step will be to speak with my ds's pediatrician- who I am SURE will not take this lightly. I am fuming! I have a Dr's appt at 10:15... if my blood pressure is up I won't be surprised!

 

[DixieDreamer]

Just found this thread. I'm so sorry that you are having to go through this. I think you are on the right track. This needs to be changed.

My DD had a bladder condition from age 4 (at least that was when we finally diagnosed the problem) to age 10 when she finally physically outgrew the condition. She had a reflux condition that resulted in spasms of the bladder and sudden dramatic needs to use the restroom. We were able to work with our teachers on this ... and she only had "problems" a few times during her first years of school. It was traumatic enough by itself... having a teacher complicate it by refusing her the opportunity to attend to her situation... would have made it pure H#&&.

Hugs and do the right thing.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

My DD is in HIGH SCHOOL...all high school students are given a planner at the beginning of the year. To leave a classroom, they need to have their planner signed by the teacher, and they must take it with them. My DD misplaced her planner for 3 days...so no bathroom breaks. I told her I was SURE if she REALLY had to go, they'd let her...but I'm not so sure!

I agree about K and 1st graders. Other DD had an accident in first grade, during library. Same thing...can't go DURING library. After she had her accident, the librarian told her that if she REALLY has to go, she should tell the librarian...but a first grader isn't thinking it's OK to ask to break a "rule".

 

[Wishing on a star]

Mermaid... You go girl!! I too would be very concerned about this. It is simply unbelievable that this situation even exists... And the reality is, Thanks to large classes and understaffing, it exists in almost every school, nationwide!! It is up to us parents to step up to the plate here....

My son is only in PreK... There is NO bathroom right adjacent to his room.... It is either, wait for the break, go in your pants, or beg and beg until the teacher can 'find' somebody to come.

Todays, erroneous, common theory is that ALL kids should be fully potty trained, including getting in and out of difficult clothing, etc... etc... as young as three or four. I think everyone here knows that this simply is NOT true!! And just think about the situation with pooping... (remember, my son experienced bowel problems, similar to another poster...) You have a situation where there are 15, 20, or more kids all trying to go on a five minute bathroom break... WITHOUT any encouragement or assistance from the teachers to see that every child is taken care of. Kids are notorious for the "I'll just go later..." mentality. Fifteen minutes later, Uhhh Ohhh!!! Once, at the beginning of the year, when I picked up my son, the teacher, (whom had been made fully aware my sons bowel problems.) Told me that about 20 minutes after I had dropped him off, my son had become visibly upset for no apparant reason. When pressed, she told me that had said, "Well, I'll just wait for Mama to come back..." And she DIDN'T even pick up on what that meant!! Poor kid held it all day!

So, as far as when the kids, AND the teachers, go to the restroom... Having a large group of young children with ONE adult, without Teachers Aids, Floaters, etc... This is TOTALLY ridiculous and should be unnacceptable. This is not meeting the needs of the students! (or the teachers.)

I still think that you should print off this thread, as well is info from your Ped... Could help!

Good luck in changing these policies at the school... But, beware, you are the bad-guy, bucking the system!!!


PS: My son will indeed be told to simply get up and walk out of the room if he really needs to go. And the principal will have a note explaining this. Do not even want to begin to think about what I would do if a teacher attempted to physically stop him!

 

[Dizzy-Disney4]

That's horrible! My son (9) has encopresis from holding it and had a problem this year with his fourth grade teacher saying it was unneccessary for him to be in the bathroom so much. Teachers should never ignore a child's request for bathroom use! It can lead to medical conditions such as my son's and shortbun's. My DS's teacher got an earful from me as well as my son's specialists in Boston and he is no longer in her class. She told us she didn't know how she could teach him if he was in the bathroom so often and I told her it was her JOB to figure out a way and if she couldn't handle it, we would find a teacher who could.
The whole issue with children being denied the use of the bathroom just totally ifuriates me. Most of the time, if a child says they have to go...they probably do!