A woman has taken to social media to seek advice after learning her son messed himself in class because his teacher refused him a bathroom break – potentially earning him a nasty nickname for life
A mum has been left outraged after being told her son messed himself in class because the teacher wouldn’t let him use the toilet. She explained how her son’s new teacher has a “pretty strict” bathroom policy, only allowing children to use the facilities when it’s playtime.
However, according to her son, she also makes the children stay in class at playtime when they haven’t completed their work, making it tricky for the youngsters to find the time to go. In a resurfaced Reddit post, she said: “My kid’s teacher does not let him use the bathroom during school hours.
“A few times my son has told me that his new teacher is pretty strict. I asked him to explain and he told me two things that I found shocking. Kids are only allowed to use the washroom during class time (i.e., not recess or lunch) one time a week. Today he was told ‘no’ and had a small accident in his underwear.
“Secondly, she keeps the “slower kids” in for recess regularly if they don’t finish their work. So about once or twice a week my son gets no recess. He is a very energetic boy and running off some steam really helps him concentrate. He also feels like he is being punished.”
The mum says she is going to speak to the school principal about the teacher’s rules but wants to know whether there’s anything else she can do to help her son and his classmates. She added: “So far my plan is to speak to the principal and voice my displeasure, but I wanted to get other people’s opinions on whether or not this was wrong.”
Commenting on her post, one user said: “Have you emailed the teacher? My son was in the same situation and I wrote her a quick email. Turns out my son was just confused about the rules and his teacher was happy to accommodate my questions. Your first step should always be to talk to the teacher, kids exaggerate all the time.”
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Another user added: “I’m a teacher, and this sounds crazy to me. Every school has its “policies” on bathroom breaks, but to me, a lot of it is at my discretion to enforce or disregard. You can tell by the look in a kid’s eye whether they actually need to go or are just trying to get out of class because they are bored. If I ever made a kid pee their pants (or in my grade, get their period all over everything) I would feel horrible about it. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”
A third user said: “You have to pick your battles. I’d mention the recess, but I wouldn’t push the issue. I’d go scorched earth over the bathroom policy. If a kid has a bad accident, that’s enough to earn them a reputation that will stick for years, being known as the kid that peed their pants. I’m middle-aged, and elementary school is a blur, but I still remember the boy that peed himself in second grade. I remember that day, I remember seeing it happen, and he never lived it down.”
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