A Year 6 teacher’s new toilet policy is having an impact on pupils’ grades

A parent shared a public school science teacher’s new bathroom policy that, if not followed carefully, could have a huge impact on her students’ grades.

What is controversial at best is that the policy limits the number of students who can use the bathroom each month and offers incentives for those who do not use the bathroom at all during classes. Worse still, a teacher will lower a student’s grade if he or she uses the bathroom more often than he or she should.

A sixth-grade teacher has informed parents about her new “bathroom rule” that is affecting students’ grades.

The mother shared a screenshot of the disturbing rule. “Parents and students received 5 toilet passes with their names on them,” the message reads. “They get 5 passes every 4 weeks.”

Screenshot from Reddit showing teacher restroom policies what is99 | Reddit

“When they use them all, they will start to lose 5% of their overall rating,” the post continued. “Students should use the toilet before school, during or after lunch. We want children to participate in classes and not wander around the corridors.

The message also explained that those who do not redeem their passes will receive additional points and additional rewards.

Many people online disagreed with the teacher’s new bathroom policy.

While some teachers on the post supported the rule and expressed concern about students misusing bathroom time, most commenters insisted that using the bathroom was not a privilege but a right. The number of times a student uses the restroom should have no bearing on their grade, and doing so contributes to a toxic classroom culture.

Policies like this teacher’s wrongly link academic success to children’s propensity to use the toilet, dehumanizing them for something they cannot control.

“A child’s bathroom habits have nothing to do with his or her grades,” wrote one commenter. “This is ridiculous.”

“This is the schools problem,” argued another parent. “They want everyone to fit into the same box. Our bodies don’t function the same. Maybe Willy can hold his bladder for hours, but Mary holds on tight for 30 minutes of class.”

Junior high school student BearPhotos | Shutterstock

Especially for teenagers with irregular menstrual cycles or medical conditions, these types of policies can be harmful.

Some students may misuse toilet time, while others have real needs and are punished and shamed.

What happens if a student doesn’t feel well or needs to change menstrual product but have you already used up your monthly bathroom passes? Should they be made to wait throughout the lesson?

Many commentators also pointed out that students often do not have time to use the toilet between classes or during lunchas the original teacher suggested.

“Throughout my junior high and high school career, recesses lasted less than 5 minutes and teachers loved to shout, “Bell yes.” NO reject you, AND fire you!” – wrote one user, adding that students are probably also lugging books and binders during this time, which makes using the bathroom even more difficult.

But the problem with this policy goes deeper than just a matter of timing. “We have many uneducated teachers who cannot understand the damage that retention of body fluids can cause,” the mother wrote in a comment.

Said Rebecca Nebel of the Society for Women’s Health Research“Restricting bathroom access forces students to engage in unhealthy toilet habits, such as holding urine, which may cause health problems that will follow students into adulthood and reduce the quality of their lives.”

This does not mean that students should be able to move freely in the corridors.

There is a difference between restricting students from using the restroom and keeping track of who enters and exits the classroom. Many teachers use toilet passes and sign-out sheets without limiting students’ physical functions.

A high school algebra teacher and student advocate walks by @msmarty209 on TikTok That’s right.

@msmarty209 #stitch from @playbaby.kota37 “You only get one season ticket per quarter” sorry WHAT…. I’m tired of the same conversation. Restricting bathroom access is not an appropriate classroom management strategy. Instead, talk to your students about time management/responsibility management. If they need to use the toilet during class, support them with their responsibilities while they are away from home. It might look like a classmate asking him to take notes or fill them in when he gets back, etc. This is how the real world works ##school##high school##teacher##teacherslike##favoriteteacher##problemsatschool##fypシ##fyp##teachersoftiktok ♬ original sound – msmarty209

“Restricting bathroom access is cruel and controlling. It’s not necessary, so stop doing it,” she insisted. “Children should not have to reveal all their health information and why they need to use the toilet.”

“The logout policy works very well for me,” the teacher continued, explaining that it allows her to see and document who is absent from the classroom, as well as contact parents if she notices any disturbing trends. “It doesn’t have to be so controlling and restrictive.”

Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on health and wellbeing, social policy and human interest stories