To say denying kids water is neglect

[YeahWhatevver]

www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/18649619.children-left-without-water-school-rules-confusion/

Kids back at school in Scotland. Local Authorities have left a lot of the COVID19 arrangements to individual schools.

Many pupils across the country describing how they weren't allowed to refill water bottles despite 20+ degree heat on the basis of some sort of concern over contamination. An arrangement that hasn't been communicated to parents!

Our DD7 took her usual 500ml bottle to school, drunk by midday, sat all afternoon thirsty, explicitly told by staff that no water was available and to bring 2 bottles tomorrow. She said there were a few who drank their water by break time.

Looks like its been sorted with a clarification from the LA to schools but AIBU to think that the kind of adult who thinks this is OK shouldn't be in charge of kids.

Negligent, yes, but I'm sure this isn't willful neglect.

More likely a situation arose which the school hadn't thought about, panicked, and decided letting kids go thirsty for a few hours was less likely to land them in the sh*t with authorities than doing something non-'COVID secure'

My 3 year old would have drank a 500ml bottle within a few hours and so being denied water for the rest of the day would be really unfair.

However as a secondary school teacher I often have to deny my students water. They ask to refill bottles during lesson time rather than doing it during break and lunch as a work avoidance tactic.

Definitely negligent. And totally unnecessary.

However as a secondary school teacher I often have to deny my students water. They ask to refill bottles during lesson time rather than doing it during break and lunch as a work avoidance tactic.

That's very different though. They have plenty of opportunities to do it. At primary school they don't.

Lots of schools in different countries don't allow kids to drink during class anyway, just at lunch. I personally wouldn't be all that bothered by it.

Imagine an outbreak traced back to the water fountain used by every pupil in a school..
There are parents who will never be satisfied while any mitigation exists at all. I believe use of hand sanitiser is next in the firing line.

AIBU to think that the kind of adult who thinks this is OK shouldn't be in charge of kids.

Another teaching bashing thread. 🙄. Another media spin on schools.

Is 500ml not a lot for a 7 year old to drink in a couple of hours??

In Ds's secondary school water was available for refilling today.

I don’t know if ‘neglect’ is the right word for it but it’s clearly a serious breach of health and safety.

It’s not enough water to send in on a hot day.

I was having a conversation with my mum about this. I don’t recall ever having a drink at school outside of lunch time when we got a plastic cup of water. Milk at morning break in infants. I’m sure on extremely hot days we would have been allowed a glug from the tap in the classroom, but I don’t recall us ever keeling over.

So no, I don’t feel as strongly as you do.

You’d think they could have had a refill station from a large jug or something, that’s daft.

I cant understand this necessity to constantly have water on your desk all day long

Kids should be able to go from breakfast to break, break to lunch and lunch to home without having a drink.

It is certainly not neglect

Yanbu. There were a couple of occasions in my school before the end of term when children didn’t have water and we’d been told previously that we wouldn’t be allowed to give them drinks. Obviously we gave them water anyway, because they needed it and I felt confident that the virus wouldn’t jump out at us all just because a child was given a clean cup of water.

"RoseCider"

This is the danger with shouting down and labeling all criticism as "bashing"

There's a wide spread failure of the duty of care schools have to children, it seems some schools have communicated the arrangement to parents, some have allowed water to be refilled but a fair number haven't done either.

But god forbid someone for daring to question the approach of our saintly untouchable teachers.

To be honest we didn't have water bottles when we were at school, the only drink you had was from the canteen/packed lunch plus there was a water fountain (icky, no one touched it) guzzling water all the time is new

WeAllHaveWings

Yeah, looks like it's been a school by school decision and some have allowed it to happen

Come on, seriously. 3 hours without water won't harm anyone. I can't believe people will be so so precious. Also you could have sent a larger bottle, this is ridiculous

frasersmummy

You can only go from breakfast to break, break to lunch and lunch to home if there's water available at break and lunch

Lots of kids seem to have gone from breakfast to break then break to home with no water. On a hot summer's day.

So they have to wash their hands umpteen times a day from the water taps to be Covid secure but filling up a water bottle from the same gap in Covid insecure?

Or am I not reading it right?

In the 80s we weren’t allowed to drink at our desks. Break and lunchtime only and guess what we survived and I doubt we all drank 500ml water during those times. Guess we were neglected

How on Earth we all survived to adulthood without constantly swigging water bottles I will never know....

It is unfortunate but I expect most people were fine. No refilling at our school either. We knew in advance though. Told them to have a big drink at breakfast and put a drink in with pack lunch too.

Are you sure there was nothing on school or local authority website?