Kids being allowed to use the bathroom during school is often a topic of conversations in parenting circles. In many instances, teachers have strict bathroom rules to keep students from goofing off or missing class. But some people believe that this is nothing more than a form of control, and they are quick to point out the damage that strict bathroom rules can have on kids.
One mom went viral on social media when she shared a story about one of her daughter’s high school teachers and that teacher’s rules around bathroom usage. It caused outrage amongst most people, while others chose to defend the teacher’s stance.
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The mom shared the story on X.
As Sita Zarcufsky wrote on the social media platform: “My daughter’s math teacher has a rule that they only get one bathroom pass per week, AND, if they don’t use it, they get academic extra credit. I am livid. But my daughter is mad that I want to email the teacher and CC the principal. Am I wrong here?“
Many people chimed in to agree with the mom.
“Hi, I’m a high school teacher. This is wrong. It’s immoral, unethical, discriminatory, and extremely worrisome. Does your daughter attend a school where hall-wandering & elopement are an issue?” one person wrote. “That might be the teacher’s concern, BUT grades should be decided purely on academic ability (not behavior). I literally cannot believe this is happening in the 21st century.”
“Our youngest son’s elementary school had similar policy for 1st graders. Totally bizarre. It ended when some poor kid peed his pants because he was afraid to ask for the pass,” another person shared.
“There are going to be kids who feel the need to perform to the rules to prove that they have worth and in doing so, they might be unintentionally harming themselves (utis, dehydration, etc). your daughter might not understand but this is horrid on so many levels,” someone else wrote.
Others disagreed completely.
“They have breaks between classes so this is not out landish,” one person shared.
“Just curious, why are you mad? I agree 1 pass per week is extreme, but what would you propose instead?” one person asked. “Should teachers go with the flow when bathroom passes are abused the way they are? Should half the class go play on their phone in the ‘bathroom?’”
“Explain why they can’t use the restroom before class or after? Has the human body changed so much in the last 40 years that students then could manage it but cannot do it now?” another person wrote.
“Your daughter is right, you’re making a big fuss about something that isn’t even a problem for her. Chances are greater that she’ll get ridiculed in class by having an overbearing mother. Back off!” someone else demanded.
Holding your pee can be really bad for you.
According to Medical News Today, holding in urine can “result in problems. Holding in pee may cause a urinary tract infection (UTI), pain, and more.” The site also pointed out that in the long term, holding it in can cause the bladder to stretch.
“The capacity of a healthy adult bladder is about 16 ounces, or 2 cups, of liquid and even less for a child. The bladder can stretch to hold more than this, but doing so too often can be dangerous,” the site reads.
Zarcufsky did ultimately reach out to the school.
Zarcufsky spoke with Buzzfeed about her viral tweet and shared that she did reach out to the school counselor about the rule. “The counselor seemed surprised the teacher had this rule written out in the syllabus and forwarded me to the principal,” she explained. The counselor referred her to the principal, who ultimately backed up the teacher.
“It’s incredibly disappointing to see such an archaic form of control demanding obedience in schools over children who simply need to go and use the bathroom,” the mom said.
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She was hoping to talk to the teacher directly in the future.
“While I do understand the pressure that teachers are under to not only teach their lesson plan and ensure their students succeed but also to monitor and discipline behavior in the classroom, I think a teacher whose automatic response is to deprive students of autonomy as it pertains to basic human functions is failing to understand how problematic and ableist these ‘solutions’ are,” Zarcufsky explained to Buzzfeed.
