That it's a basic human right for kids to be able to use the toilet at school?

[sorrysaywhatnow]

So, fully prepared to be told I'm being unreasonable, that it's disruptive to other students etc, but if your year 9 daughter has her period and is flooding, surely it's BU for teachers to say you can't use the toilet in lesson time unless you have a medical exemption for bladder problems? She had to sit for the entire lesson, refused permission even when she had to describe the problem to the teacher. I mean, really? I knew it was a new policy that the school had introduced, but I think it's ridiculous.

don’t understand why girls of 12 can’t use tampons

Words fail me!

My 15 and 22 year old don't use tampons! The 19 year old does. Surely it should be personal choice!

if their children were assaulted or given drugs during unsupervised time

The social issues of a few bad apples should not be affecting the comfort and dignity of the majority of girls who just want to use the bathroom when they need to. Seriously! Feral kids shouldn’t be there, full stop. If they can’t attend school without vandalizing it, setting it on fire or assaulting another child, they need to be in a PRU or a secure unit. The schools should adequate behavior policies in place to deal with this. But no, give them more power, let them rule the bathrooms and any innocent who wants to use the bathroom for its intended purpose can’t. What a ridiculous mentality!

I'm shocked in this day and age that children genuinely in need of the loo aren't given permission to leave.

Back in the early 90s, I started my period at age 10 and annoyingly the moment my periods became manageable, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at age 11. On both occasions and throughout my schooling from then onwards my form teacher was aware of the issues I had and the need for urgency in accessing the loo. Either my form teacher/head of year wrote a note that I would keep on me and discreetly show any new teacher at the start of a lesson. It saved me the embarrassment of announcing to the whole class that I'd got the runs. Further to that, a note from someone from within the school showed that someone internally deemed it necessary I be given permission to leave and it wasn't just based on me/my parents word.

Is this not an option anymore?

@HoppingPavlova

I’m in two minds. Would people genuinely be happy if kids came home and advised if a teacher who was absent from class in the loo more often than not for one week a month? Or, would parents think the teacher should be able to manage this and do their job effectively?

Lots of occupations where you can’t just drop what you are doing and race off to the loo when this occurs. Surely there is a point where people need to be able to learn the skills to manage this. I guess the question is where does that point lie - during school years/uni years/start of working life?

“The skills to manage this” are something you learn as you adapt to having a period- surely you found this? My periods as a teenager were incredibly heavy, completely irregular and extremely painful. They have never been that hard to manage since, and if they were, I would go on the pill to control them (which I begged for at 13 but wasn’t allowed). I appreciate not every adult woman had that option, but nearly every teenage girl is dealing with something new and hard to manage. Many options available to adult women, from tampons to hormonal contraception to maternity pads (I would have loved these but didn’t know about them) are not available to or not liked by young girls. Give them a break during the first few years of this at least? Also yes, this thread in my mind is an argument for private schools. I often read posters saying that it’s snobby and buying your way out of being with a larger cross section of society - you know what? I’ll take that if it means they can go to the loo in peace when they need to. FFS. And teachers, I think you should be able to go to the loo too. Certainly in secondary, kids should be able to be left alone for 5 minutes without wreaking havoc.

@TirednWorried

don’t understand why girls of 12 can’t use tampons

Words fail me!

Posters who have mentioned this have done so as at least two other posters said their dd could not use tampons "obviously" as they were only 12. As if it is a known reason for not using tampons. Others have queried this. No one afaik as said anyone should be made to use anything they don't want to. So the outrage isn't really needed.

I’m a teacher and recently left as I won’t be party to it. I feel for the few left who consider students as humans
@Missmissmiiiiiiiiisss give your head a wobble, what a contempt you hold for your former colleagues.

@Ritasueandbobtoo9

I don’t understand why girls of 12 can’t use tampons. I did.

Pads are a back up. I went to a rough state school and detested the usually perv teachers that seemed to relish girls feeling uncomfortable and denying them access to toilets. It just creates a bad situation. I think kids should go when they need to.

Maybe they don't want to ??? Also , you can flood through tampons.

Tbe issue isnt people going to the toilets, so much as the mischief they get up to when thdy get thete.
Why cant there be cameras in the communal sink areas of the toilets?

I'm shocked in this day and age that children genuinely in need of the loo aren't given permission to leave

And how can you tell the difference between a kid who genuinely needs to go and a kid who just fancies leaving, so they can get up to lord only knows what?

I always let pupils go if they say they have their period. I have to wait for a member of staff to escort them (safeguarding - toilets are supervised at break and lunch). I ask if they are able to sit down while they wait, or if they need to stand in the corridor.

I have told a few kids (who were green) that a member of staff has been called. But if they need to vomit or something else they have my permission to run out of the classroom if they need to.

Most individual teachers are doing the best they can. But if kids are allowed to pop to the loo anytime they feel like it they miss out on learning. If you want your kid to do well at school, please encourage them to use the loo at break and lunch. The odd mid lesson per break has no effect. But if they do it twice a day every day they actually miss out on a lot of learning.

Read the thread properly…..

I guess I had heavy periods, because I would use tampons AND a pad on my heavy days and still have flooding sometimes. Sometimes every hour or more. It was always just that way. It wasn't as if I could clench and it would go away!