Most women can recall embarrassing high school memories of worrying about getting their period or discreetly trying to slip a tampon or pad from backpacks into their hands before sneaking to the bathroom. For the most part, young ladies today expect their teachers to be cool about it if they catch them tucking a tampon up their sleeve or if they needed to run to the bathroom before springing a leak. But one girl from Dursley, England, said not only did her teacher forbid her from heading to the restroom during a particularly heavy flow, but the educator also shamed her about needing to "control her period" as she leaked through her pants. Now Maisie-Rae Adams and her mother, Kelly, are speaking out against the school so no other teen girl has to be humiliated this way.
The 14-year-old explained that she was mortified when a teacher refused to let her go to the bathroom during a particularly heavy period.
Maisie-Rae and her mom spoke with Gloucestershire Live, where the teen shared that a female teacher at Rednock School told her she needed to "learn to control her period" when she asked to go to the bathroom. When she wasn't allowed, it resulted in a bloody — and embarrassing — accident before she walked out and went anyway.
“Maisie had not wanted to be late to the lesson so she waited till she got there and asked," her mother explained. But unfortunately, this wasn't her first time getting in trouble for using the restroom. Kelly explained that both she and her daughter suffer from heavy periods that can even happen up to three times a month and that her daughter has received three detentions in the past for asking to be excused to go to the bathroom.
The teen added that her classmates were also shocked at her teacher's response.
“I just grabbed my (sanitary) pad and went to the toilet. When I tried to come back in to the classroom, the teacher told me that my bag was in another room and I could not go back to class," she said.
In a furious post on Facebook, Kelly fumed about how she claims her daughter was treated in class. "If a child needs the toilet because they are having ladies problems…let them go!" she wrote. "Don't refuse them, so they have to walk out, and then won't let them back in so they miss an important exam…as well as spending the whole day completely covered in blood…oh and then give them a detention and put them in isolation…how dare they.
"And then the teacher says she has to 'learn to control her period' …Wtf," she added.
"Absolutely fuming and disgusted," Kelly made an appointment to speak with school officials.
The mom told Gloucestershire Live that when her daughter came home and told her what happened, she was shocked. "I felt so angry that I could cry," she said.
“She is a mini me," she continued. "With her confidence and even her shyness we are the same. I know how she feels. Maisie felt humiliated and embarrassed and it is horrible what happened to her.”
The mom said she made an appointment with school officials for 8 a.m. Thursday, where the head teacher told them 'the situation is not as has been interpreted."
But Kelly is not taking that answer. “She should never of had a detention for needing to go to the toilet during her period,” the mom said.
Maisie and her mom are working together to find a way to discreetly let teachers know that female students are on their periods.
The mother and daughter team hopes they can come up with a plan that will help remove the stigma. “Me and mom have had a talk and we want to be able to let the teachers know discreetly that girls are on their periods," Maisie said.
“The school have said to us in the meeting that they have a pink card policy that the girls can show the teacher," her mother said. But the mom claimed that Maisie had no idea about the policy. "I think it would be a good idea to get the girls wearing a little pink wristband and then it would show the teachers and others that the girl is on her period and that they may be a little emotional and not able to concentrate that week."
Kelly said her daughter's head teacher liked her proposal. "I want to be able to go into the school and talk about what happens to the girls and we need to make sure that the girls are not ashamed of what is happening to their bodies," she explained.
Head teacher David Alexander refused to speak about the case when questioned, but he added this: "We do allow students to go to the toilet for issues relating to their periods. In fact we have 'time out' cards specifically for that purpose – we introduced this to all girls in assemblies at the start of the year.
“Every girl had the opportunity to carry one," he continued. "The system does work effectively and is discreet. We are sensitive to the needs of all students but especially girls in this situation, who are developing emotionally and physically."
He added that the school even has "four community support officers" who are nonteachers available for students throughout the day. "They are all female and so are adept in dealing with this type of situation," he said. "We provide free tampons and sanitary towels for those who need them."
But in the end, Alexander admitted that the ongoing case should prompt further thinking about the situation. "Clearly we will reflect on this so that we learn from it and improve," he said.
