Children protesting about unisex toilets

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www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11802555/TikTok-protests-rock-Britains-schools-Pupils-scale-gates-trash-classrooms-rules.html

It's not just about unisex toilets, it's also not being able to go to the loo during lessons (also a bigger issue for girls) and uniform.

The thing that is shocking is quotes such as boys putting phones under the toilet doors and girls not going to the loo all day. We know this happens in mixed sex spaces, it's not rocket science, why on earth weren't proper risk assessments done? It has to be illegal and sex discrimination not to prevent known risks from unisex toilets?

It's shameful that CHILDREN are having to do this themselves. Where are the adults? Where is safeguarding?

Why are the facts known to development charities for years that you need single sex toilets for girls to be able access their human right to education ignored just because it's the UK?

There are a few women like Miriam Cates and KJK who can hold their heads up high about this but not many adults are protecting children (and I include myself in this - I felt shame reading this). It's so shocking.

So I hate to say it but I don't think it is right just to congratulate the protesters. Nor is it so black and white as a straight GC issues

Not all the schools with protests have single sex schools.

The school I'm involved with that had protests has single sex loos. They are locked during lessons. They have available a single sex loo.

My guess (and I don't know for sure) is that because it is easier to police a single loo visible from the corridor. Noone can hide out in it or vape in it easily.

Most of the girls and boys using the toilet during lessons aren't really using it for the toilet. They're using it because the classroom is too intense and they need a break. Unless girls have weekly periods, it really isn't a period problem for most female students.

Unisex toilets and access to toilets may be the headline, but it's as much about the bigger problems within schools (poor sen provision, Andrew tate culture, ridiculous uniform policies etc). Unisex toilets are just the flashpoint.

We have atm however got a culture of rights and protesting for them. I can appreciate why teachers and nurses are protesting, but these are people with responsibilities. If we aren't demonstrating how to protest through the political system, we can't be surprised when our teenagers chose direct action either. When you see kids copying nurses at the side of the Road appealing for support from motorists, you really do have a law of unintended consequences.

The big problem is that School property is being damaged in these protests, kids are being scared and teachers are going to be even less likely to get into or continue teaching. It's actually deeply counterproductive.

That's a very interesting post @Icedlatteplease - thanks, I will think about that.

Unless girls have weekly periods, it really isn't a period problem for most female students

I don't understand this comment

The girls you tend to find going out during lessons go out frequently. As in every lesson every week.

There's a limit to how many kids you can practically put in detention in one go. They've all got to be supervised, which uses staff resources, and if you end up moving them into the hall to supervise large numbers with fewer staff then surely you're going to ask "why is this happening?".

The queue for the remaining single-sex toilets will need to be pretty long for dramatic effect.

This is the thing with any industrial action - solidarity is essential. You've got to work en masse

The children ARE complaining: www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23350409.weston-secondary-school-pupils-protest-uni-sex-toilets/

oops, that was for the AIBU thread