Should I complain about this?

[hollywally54]

I know this has already been done recently but my year 7 ds came home from school with a letter yesterday regarding toilet use. From this week, only children with a pre approved toilet pass will be able to leave lessons to go to the toilet. And in order to get one of these parents will need to provide medical evidence of a long term health issue.

They have generously said that children suffering from temporary issues such as infections or periods (?!?!) can get a pass but these will also need to be approved.

I feel outraged to be honest. Of course there will be kids who take the piss (no pun intended) but there are a hell of a lot of shy, genuine children who are probably going to feel really uncomfortable about this blanket ban on toilet use. What if someone has an accident in class? Can you imagine the shame? Surely teachers are able to quite quickly determine the kids who are trying to skive and those who are genuine? Is it worth complaining about this?

My child is a precious snowflake because he may need to use a loo unexpectedly during lesson time? Wow. Make it make sense....

It's not about liking or disliking the kids, it's about using common sense and experience to determine whether you think a kid is genuine and basing your decision on that. For example little jimmy who asks to go every lesson and takes half an hour coming back, maybe isn't genuine. A child who asks discreetly once in a blue moon could maybe be given the benefit of the doubt.

All I know is that i would hate to be told I simply wasn't allowed to access a loo at a certain time. It would make me anxious and that in itself can make people need the toilet more frequently.

I have no doubt at all that schools have changed almost beyond recognition since I was in the senior's and I don't mind that being pointed out. Can't fathom why you'd feel disrespected.

That aside, I went through my entire school career without vomiting, wetting or soiling myself and I'm unaware of any friends/classmates having fallen victim to these humiliations. Happy to accept I might have been lucky, but don't understand why so many posters seem to think this is an ever present danger.

Not being able to afford pencils was in response to employing toilet attendants and nothing to do with the ethics of toilet bans, so your point doesn't stand up.

A child who asks discreetly once in a blue moon could maybe be given the benefit of the doubt.

Head
Brick.
Wall.

But I'll say it again.... This is what will happen!

It's just that the 'ban' gives more power to teachers to say no to the kids who keep asking. Otherwise they argue they're allowed to go and school have no reason not to let them.

This makes sense until one realizes that periods, diarrhea and UTIs are things that exist in nature. Obviously not all the time, but they happen and teachers should be able and willing to use discretion in such cases, rather than being bound by some nonsensical blanket policy.

I think the teachers and sensible parents posting here understand that this is a policy that simply empowers teachers to say no to the requests which are not urgent or genuine (which is most of them) and yes at their discretion.

But some people just can't help but make the block-headed assumption that teachers are stupid or hate children.

Perhaps what most schools in most advanced countries do to deal with this issue, and what most of the teachers who've posted say they do, which is: a general policy discouraging toilet use while allowing for discretion in cases of periods, upset stomachs etc.

At the school I worked at, most of us used some variation of hall passes, sign out sheets to track who went and how often, the one at a time rule, or something of the sort.

In other words, we found a medium between anarchy and harshly worded blanket bans that would only have alienated parents right at the beginning of the year, and punished good students for the actions of bad.

@Isittimeformynapyet

that's true but people were complaining that no constructive alternatives were being offered so the natural inference is that people were saying 'well we have to do this because we can't afford to do anything better'

However I do take your point

This isn't a new thing, this was in place decades ago when I was in high school!

Generally, if a kid isn't asking to go the toilet frequently, then teachers aren't going to have a problem. They'll usually just be allowed to go, and only pulled up if becomes a repeated behaviour.

I don't agree with toilet bans though. A basic human right is to use the toilet - I remember having a weak bladder later in high school - not really my fault! Plus, trying to hold a sore, full bladder or whatever, and concentrate on work is not conductive to concentration.

That being said, it was rare I really needed to leave a lesson to go, so when I did, I would get up and either just tell them 'Just nipping the loo sir/miss' which was usually met with a 'fine' or a nod. Once or twice another kid kicked up a fuss for being met with a no when they asked, and the teacher would tell them straight - 'you're always doing it, Toenailz isn't'. Or, I'd ask, and if they said no, and I needed, I would go anyway. Think that only ever happened once. I was made to stay behind after lesson by the teacher and was just reasonable with her 'When do I ever ask to leave your lesson to go the loo? Never. So, I needed'. There wasn't much she could say, because it was the truth, and was she pretty reasonable in response.

Some teachers are on a control trip though and will abuse this. As do kids..

This here.

Ds school had this policy, he already had bowel problems before he started, but within a year, he started to regularly suffer impaction that meant instead of missing 5 minutes of a lesson he was off school for 2-3 days while we unblocked him with medication & he had to be admitted to hospital twice because his colon was badly enlarged. I asked for a toilet pass, but because he wasn't under a consultant, they wouldn't give him one.

At the school I worked at, most of us used some variation of hall passes, sign out sheets to track who went and how often, the one at a time rule, or something of the sort.

We have sign out sheets and a one at a time rule. But this doesnt empower the teacher to say no. Then you get parental complaints of 'why didn't you let A go to the toilet', when you answer 'because it's their third time in three hours' you get rubbish about human rights back and no school policy to back you.

The policy is designed (like laws) for the lowest common denominator, not the nice kid who occasionally needs a wee.