Should the bathrooms be limited at school?

By: Emma Jorgenson

I know many teachers and students who can argue yes to this, but I also know a lot of others who would disagree. I do not think that teachers and staff should be allowed to limit the use of bathroom use. What if there is something that is going on, and you really need to go? Can a teacher just stop you and say no? I have only had this happen to me a couple times where I asked to use the restroom and the teacher said "no". I explain to them that it is an emergency and they still didn't let me go.

It is uncomfortable to even explain why I have to use the restroom. Eli Lowen says, “Bathrooms shouldn’t  be limited, because kids can't control when they have to go to the bathroom. I think that students should always be able to go. If teachers thinks kids are on their phones, they should just take them before they go and give them when they return.”

Is it illegal to not let someone go to the bathroom? My understanding is that refusing to allow a child to go to the bathroom is denying them their physical needs and creates the potential for embarrassment or emotional trauma. This is considered abuse. Abuse is illegal. Therefore, refusing to allow a child to go to the bathroom is illegal.

Nora says, “No, they shouldn't be limited it is not something you can control and when a teacher says no to us they know that they go to the bathroom when they need to so why should students be able to.” Tyson says, "Kids need to be able to go when they need to and it is a big deal if the teacher says no."

Then, there is my personal opinion they shouldn’t be limited. If you need to use the restroom, then you can't really control that. It's unfair that teachers say no, even if you really have to go.

One thing that is unfair and not okay is that a teacher dropped my grade for it. For example, one of my teachers (long term substitute teacher) would have weekly points, which was fine, until it started to take a point off your grade if you needed to use the bathroom.  Also, you only had 3 minutes, which was fine, and most people made it back in time. But, if you didn't, she would call the office to look for you. I would understand if it was 15 minutes, but having to be back in less than three minutes is very unfair. 

When is the best time to use the restroom? Most teachers say at break or at lunch, and that is true. But, when they say to go during passing period, it is much harder. We have 4 minutes to go from one class to the other. If I have a class all the way across the school from another class, I don't have enough time to go to the restroom. When you need to use the restroom, you have to go. 

It's fine if the teacher makes you wait while they are explaining something, but if you are just reading or doing an assignment, we should be able to go.