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.

I don't know tbh. Our school told us before they went back, along with other information, that the water fountains would be unavailable. I sent DD in with 2 bottles of water and a carton of juice in her packed lunch. Parental responsibility and all that.

Looneytune253

For our DD it was 4 hrs, for some kids it was over 5.

Next time it's a hot day try and sit in a warm room without anything to drink while trying to concentrate for 4/5 hours and tell me it's ridiculous

blacktop

I totally agree, it's not a difficult thing to prepare for if we were told but nothing was communicated from our school.

@YeahWhatevver If child had a packed lunch parent should have supplied a drink for lunchtime. If the child was a school dinner there would have been water milk or juice available

I cant see any reason for a child not to have a drink at lunch unless they drank their lunchtime water at their desk

I grew up in Queensland in the 80s. 30°+ for several months of the year. We were allowed to drink only at break time and lunch time - it was fine. This constant access to water is new. And it's really for a very few days a year that's it's an issue in the UK.

TBH I think we all have bigger fish to fry right now. Not a teacher or school type person - but all this constant water drinking is a bit of a health con. I used to do bikram (hot) yoga which is serious sweating for 90 minutes. Serious sweating. And one of the first things the teacher made clear is that we did not need to be 'rehydrating' the whole time - or indeed at all. It was just a distraction and we got one short break to do it. I stopped needing it/thinking about it after a while.

I can't stand all this buying/carrying around little plastic bottles. It's bad for the planet and we do not need that much water. Our kids don't need to be drinking water all day at school (then going to the loo).

So yeah, YABU. Neglect is denying children water all day and night for several days and nights, along with denying them food. Not between the hours of 12 and 3 (assuming they run out by lunch time)

@itsgettingweird

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?

You wash your hands in warm water. You either turn the tap off with a paper towel, or it's an automatic one. You fill a water bottle from a drinking fountain, or perhaps a drinking water tap. You would need to do this and then go to the toilets to wash your hands afterwards, hoping nothing got onto the actual plastic bottle.

But god forbid someone for daring to question the approach of our saintly untouchable teachers
Of course it was teachers who came up with this rule

This isn't my kids school but we were warned that there wouldn't be a water filling area at school before they go back. It's really on the parents, I've sent mine with 2 bottles of water just incase

The issue is at some schools kids aren't allowed to refill their water bottles so there isn't the opportunity to have a drink at break, lunch ,break if they've finished their bottle. 500ml for a school day, particularly in hot weather, isn't a lot.

I actually thought that some schools had said no refilling bottles but perhaps I'm wrong.
I don't think you can blame the teachers for this. If there was an outbreak at school due to all.the children using the tap you wouldn't be happy with that either.. I would have thought parents would provide more than 1 drink, surely you include a drink in their lunch so it wouldn't be that long until the end of the day. So very unreasonable to complain.
I'm desperate for my children to go back and they're keen too. I wouldn't complain about anything(unless really serious) as lockdown has made me realise how said difficult teaching is. All that was needed was a quick word with the teacher to confirm the situation. Also once your daughter was told no she shouldn't have asked again, that would annoy me.
At secondary school there's no excuse to refill in lessons but I try to provide enough drinks to avoid refilling anyway.

There was clearly an issue with the water supply today. I'm sure no child disintegrated into a pile of dust due to it.
Just send your child in with a bigger bottle tomorrow.

I can't understand this constant need to have water. When I was at school I had a cup of tea at breakfast, 1/3 pint of milk at morning break, and nothing else until I got home in the afternoon; and I never felt thirsty.

@MsEllany I have a feeling that everyone was badly dehydrated back then. I drink about 3L a day...

Did the school provide extra drinks at lunchtime? If they didn't, that would certainly be neglectful.

However, if they did, I'm not so sure. When I was at school, we had drinks at break and lunchtime and that was it - there was no question of being allowed drinks in class unless there was a medical need for it, e.g. kidney problems. No-one got dehydrated.

So take a 500ml bottle and a smaller one?

At the moment,communal water fountains are a potential cross contamination point. Schools have been told to minimise these.

This comes from government guidelines. Please stop blaming teachers.

I too remember having no water sipping apart from break and lunch. It was fine. We were fine 🤷‍♀️

This seems very odd. When I was teaching in summer term I let children have a drink at lunch and during morning and afternoon break, and if anyone finished their water I asked a TA to refill it from the water cooler in the staff room. Common sense tells me there’s a greater health risk in leaving a small child overheated and dehydrated, especially when they’ve been running around in the sun all break time.

I think that is a total disgrace in this hot weather. Contact local press and report to local authority. It's a health and safety issue. Idiots.

I'm in Scotland. Our school has been really clear about this. No water refills so send your kids with more than one bottle, plus a bottle of water/juice in their lunch bags if they're having a pack lunch.

They sent a message out through the app 2 weeks ago. An email out last week. A tweet about it this week, plus a reminder through the app. Every parent at our school knew the score regarding water bottles.

If parents werent aware then the failure it with the specific schools not telling them but not all schools messed it up.

In our schools it's been communicated well in newsletters and website.

Send with 2 bottles and a carton of juice for break and lunch. Done. They can drink before school and at 3.05.

Apart from anything there is enough faff with them washing their hands 89 million times a day and queuing for that without adding in queues for a water fountain.

Not ideal if it wasn't communicated but now it has been it's easy to remedy. Fill as soon as come home and put in bag for next day. Can change to fresh cold water if rememebr and if not at least will have that water.

I don’t remember anyone having water bottles when I was at school. There were fountains and drinks machines during the day and then jugs of water in the dining hall. You could bring a flask if you wanted, but no fizzy drinks. Then in sixth form there were kettles in the common rooms for tea and coffee. It’s really weird to hear that so many children and teens need water bottles now.

Then again, perhaps we weren’t drinking anywhere near enough water, and it is more that we should have had water bottles with us!

I tell my children water is their right & no one should deny them that. I'd be livid at the school (not the teacher) for not telling me.

I get migraines from lack of water. We also live in southern QLD where it's 25 degrees today and winter. So I find it bizarre no alternative was put in place.

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

Likewise. We had milk at break time, which was grim so you'd avoid it if you could. Then a small beaker of water at lunchtime with maybe a 250ml drinks carton and then that was it until you went home. You can go 3-4 hours without a drink when it's 25 degrees. Different if they're physically active.

Maybe school didn't think they needed to point out that children wouldn't be able to use a communal water cooler in the middle of a pandemic?

I also don't understand the need for anyone to be constantly swigging from a bottle. Surely the school had guidelines and 'instructions' for going back. If your child having lots to drink is a major priority then send them in with enough.

This is completely ridiculous.

I don’t remember ever drinking water at primary school other than a glass with lunch.

At home, I don’t drink more than a few hundred mls of water during the day. I drink with my meals.

Why kids need to sit and swig water constantly I don’t know. Drink properly first thing and at lunch and it will be fine.

It’s not that hot here at the moment.