Lack Of Bathrooms Causes Kids To Wet Their Pants

[CBD]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/11/05..._restroo-2.html

[Nat]

The parents should have sent them to school in diapers. That would have spared them the humiliation.

[Baby Bethany]

In Britain it's a legal requierment that all places of work/study provide toilet facilities, including disabled ones.

Does a similar law not apply in the US?

[Bettypooh]

In Britain it's a legal requierment that all places of work/study provide toilet facilities, including disabled ones.

Does a similar law not apply in the US?

I noticed the article came from Nov 2007- Hardly news but worth reading anyway Points I noted were that it was going to take them 3 weeks to finish the renovation A decent three person crew could do that job in three days-except that we're talking about getting it done by goverment workers or contractors who only hurry when going to the bar or the bank after work. And it is the Bronx-NYC-where it's common knowledge that low bid or best job is irrelavent The job goes to whoever has the best 'connections' and they're probably barely competent at best Worst of all was seeing that this wasn't done when the kids were on vacation shortly before the article was written Come on, don't try to tell me it wasn't known before then that the bathroom needed repairs This is just another example why the government in the US needs to be deported to south of the border en-masse to work for peanuts at the real jobs which they allowed to be moved down there at America's expense

Bethany, there are laws that require adequate bathroom facilities over here-but the government and any part of it (like the public school system) is allowed to break the same laws it demands that the rest of us follow. Exemptions are made when nobody fights back and shows that there is no need for an exemption(and often even when there is a fight and the government is obviously in the wrong). Stupid decisions are made that are unthinkable by those who are supposed to be thinking, such as a judge saying that a government building doesn't have to have wheelchair access because it would destroy the "historical integrity" of the building. What are we trying to preserve, discrimination against the disabled? There are ways to accomodate humans of all kinds without destroying the integrity of historical sites but it's too much to ask of the government to do this-yet they demand it of the public who they rule over. Perhaps I should follow you "across the pond"!

Abrera, as a child who suffered the humiliation of being a pantswetter without being allowed use of anything which would have given me at least half a chance to grow up normally, all I can say is that your seeing this as an "excuse" for pantswetting shows that you're grip on reality is tenuous at best.

Get a grip! If you'd went through the he!! I did growing up, you wouldn't have even had that thought in the first place. You might think it would be fun as an adult but for kids pantswetting is no fun at all. Every child wants to be loved and accepted by their friends, family, and peers but society's views about pantswetting kids prevents that from happening. We have to live with being punished by everyone for something we have no control over and that is so, so very wrong. If I had to go through that all over again I would kill myself to escape it, and to he!! with what God or anyone else thought about me doing it. It would have been a better option than living, maybe the best option but the time for that choice is past and now I must live with the memories that the nightmare of my pantswetting childhood was and still is. An "excuse" for wet pants? It isn't needed but responsible, caring, and understanding adults who form society are. Kids don't need excuses for being kids, only adults need excuses to do things which they won't fight to get society to accept as normal. So there!

Bettypooh

[spark]

In Britain it's a legal requierment that all places of work/study provide toilet facilities, including disabled ones.

Does a similar law not apply in the US?

Yes, but unfortunately schools in the USA don't always do a very good job treating kids with respect (and that isn't a knock against administrators or teachers-I am one. It is an institutional problem that is very hard to fix.

Our kids start school at 8:10 and get out at 3:06. Every hour they have 3 minutes to get to the next class (which is usually right next door, so that isn't a big deal), but they are expected to use the bathroom during that 3 minute break if needed (which is usually high demand). Teachers will let them use the bathroom during the class period, but we discourage it (this with cause because kids frequently are doing other things, and try to escape class). Their only real break is a 30 minute lunch.

When we have workshops, we don't really start until 8:30 to 9:00. At 10 we get a twenty minute break, and a 1 hour lunch.

Unfortunately there are reasons for the restricted access. At our schools we fight kids 'tagging' in the bathrooms, and vandalization is a constant battle. A lot of kids can handle unsupervised time (as they get older), and act as responsible as adults (sometimes more), however some kids don't. And that is a problem!

Now as far as something like this happening, unfortunately it isn't that surprising. It takes something like a Lawsuit to get districts to pay attention to such things, because teachers concerns are almost always ignored.

[Bettypooh]

...Every hour they have 3 minutes to get to the next class (which is usually right next door, so that isn't a big deal), but they are expected to use the bathroom during that 3 minute break if needed (which is usually high demand)...

You're in a position to help make the needed changes. To add just one minute to class changes wouldn't mean anything lost in the curriculum and would make life a lot easier on the kids, wouldn't it? So why not pursue it since there's nothing stopping you from doing that but youself! Teaching isn't an easy job but you chose that career and you're obligated to give it your best as long as you're there!

While it's important to teach promptness, punctuality, and time responsibility it's far more important that kids don't have to suffer the crap they'll get wetting their pants because of them trying to meet your requirements and not being able to. If you read my post you know what I went through Some teachers understood and let me use the bathroom as needed-I didn't take advantage of their kindness by doing anything else when I went because it was a great help to me Other teachers made a big issue of it in front of the class before letting me go-as Cartman would say "The bastards!"- and I was humiliated for something I couldn't help And then there were those who wouldn't let me go when I needed to in the 5th grade I lost my physical fear of them(or learned I could outrun them), so I left class and peed when I needed to against their will. I got sent to the office and paddled so much that I finally asked the principal whether I was supposed to wet my pants or use the bathroom or would he rather me whip it out and pee in the trashcan in front of the whole damn class?(yes I used that word). Finally he understood and from then on I had schoolwide permission to go pee as needed so long as I didn't take undue advantage of it. The lesson I learned from that was one you wouldn't want to be teaching: Do whatever you want to and screw the rules-in the end you'll get what you want!

I still got some flak from my peers after that but it was far, far better than what I got when I wet my pants trying to obey stupid rules designed to control stupid people without allowing for exceptional children like me. BTW, I was always an A+ student till I went wild in my teens, but that's a different story altogether(and maybe not fit to print!)

The most important thing in this world is caring for people even if they are different than everyone else.

Bettypooh

[Darkfinn]

Repost times like a million.

[spark]

You're in a position to help make the needed changes. To add just one minute to class changes wouldn't mean anything lost in the curriculum and would make life a lot easier on the kids, wouldn't it? So why not pursue it since there's nothing stopping you from doing that but youself! Teaching isn't an easy job but you chose that career and you're obligated to give it your best as long as you're there!

I do understand where you're coming from (although I do sense I little bit of hostility in your comments- if you didn't mean to be accusatory, I apologize for taking offense. If you are accusing me of not caring, then I don't really care what you think).

There are numerous problems in education right now, and contrary to what the press and public perception, it isn't that kid's aren't learning. That is the amazing part, despite having schools that look like POW camps and near Gulag type conditions, 95% of the kids are learning. And they're learning material that we didn't learn until the next grade. Kids really are amazing.

Now as far as making needed changes, believe me I know. I see it and my colleques know how I feel (I've said the same thing to them that I posted above). It is a hard battle, and quite frankly I feel like it is failing. Some elementary schools are doing away with recess (and probably have the same issues with the bathrooms). The reason that this happens is that principals are under tremendous pressure to improve test scores and sometimes don't understand good teaching and how kids learn.

Don't get me wrong. I love my job, and I'm proud of my industry. We work hard, and nearly everybody really does want the very best for our students. Unfortunately, it is much harder to change an institution. Just think what would happen at your workplace if the bathrooms were out of commision and you had to use them in shifts. Why does somebody think it is acceptable for young kids? (I know, it is rhetorical question).

[NekoDude18]

I think it is a law that the schools have to have adequate restroom facilities for students and staff, there are many regulations about it actually.

We had a problem actually at my elementary school when I was there (lol long time ago it seems now... funny how time flies), where there wasn't enough bathrooms in a certain area of the building, and they ended up relocating entire classes for it. Shortly after that they had to close the school one day when the water to the school was cut. (Some worker made a mistake with piping somewhere, and something blew up... was funny and we were let out of school for 2 days... we were all cool with that lol.)

In poorer communities, the schools don't follow regulations as strictly, which is probably the case with this school in teh article.

[littleJaina]

I think it is a law that the schools have to have adequate restroom facilities for students and staff, there are many regulations about it actually.

We had a problem actually at my elementary school when I was there (lol long time ago it seems now... funny how time flies), where there wasn't enough bathrooms in a certain area of the building, and they ended up relocating entire classes for it. Shortly after that they had to close the school one day when the water to the school was cut. (Some worker made a mistake with piping somewhere, and something blew up... was funny and we were let out of school for 2 days... we were all cool with that lol.)

In poorer communities, the schools don't follow regulations as strictly, which is probably the case with this school in teh article.

To be fair to the poorer schools, they often can't afford to. Regulations are often passed down without providing any funding for compliance.