I am not the pee troll

[Feefeetrixabelle]

Just a very important disclaimer there and again here I’m not the pee troll.

However I am surprised by how many parents on this forum are stating that their children are being refused access to the bathroom during school hours and I think it’s something we as a forum could have an impact on. So my Aibu is this- what is a fair bathroom policy in school? And once we have a unified response Aibu to start a campaign about it?

Again not the pee troll.

Which is why I was looking for ideas on a policy not stories. Maybe if no one shares personal stories and experiences but instead states what a good policy would be that would help remove the pee troll doubts?

I think any student who asks to leave class to go to the bathroom should be allowed to. Without question. The teacher should record students that have left their classes. If there are any bad behaviour you have your culprits easily identifiable.

There is a thread running about oral sex... but can't discuss urination?

This policy is ludicrous.. I have always told my kids if you need to go genuinely, then ask if teacher says no. Tell them I gave you permission. The same issue with taking a sip of water.
The school are more than welcome to take it up with me. But bodily functions can't always be easily controlled.

But @lilymumsnet if you think this is the kind of conversation a deviant would get a kick out of then by all means pull the thread.

Back in the dark ages I vaguely remember secondary school technically not letting students go to the loo between lessons.

However the teachers used their judgement and if you weren't the type to.. erm.. take the piss (sorry ) you could generally go.

Also as a girl, standing, picking up your bag and heading for the door while saying 'miss I need to go to the loo' was pretty effective if you felt your period was starting.

I think it's disgraceful that we aren't trusting children and young adults to know their own bodies. If my boss told me I wasn't allowed to go to the bathroom during a 2 hr long meeting there would be hell up. In fact there's usually an open door policy or bathroom breaks scheduled into every meeting!

I wouldn't, however, have a problem with permission being withdrawn for those who smoke/bugger off/meet their mates for a gossip though.

I don't know about primary but in secondary it's a fucking nightmare. One kid goes, they all want to go. Do you know how disruptive it is to a lesson to have 30 teenages traipsing in and out in a non-stop procession? Not to mention many of them are going to look at their phones (which they shouldn't have anyway but all do), meet up with friends, do their hair, waste time instead of doing the work....it's ridiculous. Imo only pupils with toilet passes that are given for medical reasons should be allowed to go. The longest they have to wait is 2 hours which is not unreasonable. Parents undermining us by saying " just go anyway" are incredibly unhelpful. Does your child go to the loo every hour at home? So why should they at school? Use some common sense.

I’ve taught @katnissk and I’ve never had an issue where it’s set off the whole class needing to go. 1 or 2 a lesson max.

Well I'm amazed. It's never not been in an issue in all of the schools I've taught at. My current school is having to come up with a policy on this right now as it's a school-wide problem and just letting kids go when they ask is causing havoc. Today all loos were locked during lesson time as an interim measure.

ok so your thought for a policy would be students with a medical pass only right @katnissk ? How would you see a student qualifying for a medical pass. Would you be happy for a parent to sign a form requesting one or would you want a medical professional to sign it.

What horse do you have in this race op?

I don’t understand what you mean by that @immortalmarble

@Feefeetrixabelle - in the usual way that they are issued. Either with a note from a gp or in agreement by parents and Head of Year, which tend to be reviewed during the year to see if they are still needed. Temporary issues (dodgy stomach, bladder infection, period issues etc) could be dealt with by asking to go to medical and using the loos there. It's an effective way of weeding out the time wasters when they have to go through another set of staff!

What is the pee troll??

At primary age I think children should be allowed to go whenever. Once they get to the age where a trip to the loo can be a excuse to get out of a lesson, catch up on a bit of phone time etc, then I reckon a note from a parent, gp etc should be requested if it gets to be a frequent occurrence. A form that a parent or doctor can sign sounds a good idea. In classes I’ve worked in (supply TA/SNA it’s sometimes clear that a certain child or group or children will be wanting loo breaks very often and that ther is a motive other than needing the loo. Some kids it’s during a particular lesson they find hard or boring. Or they’ve forgotten their homework etc. For others it would be very unusual for them to be asking more than a few times per term. So it’s not a one size fits all sort of thing imo.

I think it's crazy that secondary aged children aren't allowed to go to the toilet when they need to, but when they get to college it's pretty much up to them what they do and when.

What exactly changes in the 3(?) months between when they leave high school and start further education?

When I was at school we were allowed to come and go to the toilet without asking. No one took the piss, the novelty of walking out of lessons wore off pretty quickly and there were very few disruptions/arguments.

Teachers aren't gatekeepers. They shouldn't be allowed to police when a person goes to the toilet.

I will always tell my children that if they need to go and are refused, then they are to just walk out and I'll deal with any repercussions.
I usually side with teachers but when it comes to an individuals bodily functions no-one has the right to dictate; apart from that person themselves.

@Lozsawyer can I ask why?

Teachers aren't 6. Refusing to let a child go to the toilet is pond scum fork of a power play. For shame.

I think it depends on the age of the children. I'll sometimes ask them to wait until a more appropriate point in the lesson but I teach older ones.

Generally they're allowed to go but if it becomes something they're doing regularly during lesson time I speak to parents.

I've been reprimanded by SLT because of allowing one pupil out to the toilet (right next door) during lesson time.
It resulted in 2 sinks torn off the walls, 3 toilets stuffed with paper and blocked, a flood, and the entire toilet block out of action for almost 2 weeks. And worse, a year 7 child badly beaten.
Apparently a group had coordinated a meet up with surreptitious phone use.

When I worked in a paediatrics department a very common conversation between the paediatrician and a child or teen would be that their kidney function test was essentially normal but showed they were slightly dehydrated and they would ask questions about how much they drank. It would inevitably come out that the child was drinking very little during the day because of a no toilet rule.

I don't like pee or period trolls but I do think this is an issue. I also used to restrict fluids and wear San pro in anticipation of periods due to this rule. I don't think it's right.