Pee and Poop in the classroom
Who is responsible for clean-up?
THE LAW
* Schools legally cannot turn a child away for not being toilet trained. Federal law (in the U.S.) requires that students are offered FAPE (a free and appropriate education). If they do turn a child away, which they very rarely do, they have to pay for an alternate placement.
THE DYNAMICS
* While there is no specific age when a child should be toilet trained, most children are ready between the ages of 2 and 4. However, the time it takes can vary from a couple of days to a couple of years. Girls learn faster, usually completing toilet training 2 to 3 months before boys do.
* A child entering Kindergarten can be:
1. Fully trained…no issues.
2. Without any toilet training…parent’s issue.
3. In the process of toilet training…parent’s issue.
4. Fully trained, but develops a problem after entering the public school system…parent/school issue.
IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
* An IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is appropriate when a student has a disability that significantly impacts their ability to access the general education curriculum and requires specialized instruction to make progress.
* A 504 PLAN is suitable when a student has a disability that can be accommodated with adjustments to the learning environment without needing specialized instruction.
TYPICAL VIEWPOINTS
* Nurse… “As a school nurse, I know that my education did not focus on wiping poopie bottoms! Any parent, or teacher, is just as skilled and capable as a nurse is to wipe a child’s bottom. Being a nurse is not synonymous with being in charge of toilet training! This is a PARENT issue. Stop enabling delinquent parents who have not taught their child how to use the bathroom. If there is a diagnosed medical issue, that is another matter altogether. It’s time to remember that Teachers are there to teach!”
* Administrator…“My teachers no not help with any type of bathroom issues. They are not even allowed in the student restroom. It is a parents responsibility to make sure the student is ready to attend school. If there are other issues, then parents have to look beyond public schools.”
* Parent…”I want to ask where the school nurse is at? He or she has been trained and would be the one to change diapers. Make him or her do that under a rule 504.”
* Parent…“My son who is not doing well in his kindergarten class has started to have accidents after being toilet trained for 1.5 years. When this happens the school calls me to clean him up. They say that they are not allowed to. We have an IEP but it does not list anything about toileting accidents. If I get a call then I have to leave work to go clean him up. It’s happened twice a day as he is not doing well and I need to find another placement. It doesn’t seem like FAPE to me when its costing me to lose wages; to either not go to work, or leave to clean him up.”
* Teacher…“I am a male kindergarten teacher teaching a regular ed class and I will not change a Kindergartener’s diaper. Aside from it being highly inappropriate, it would increase the risk of my being accused of an impropriety. When an IEP is developed, I find it completely reasonable to ask a parent or family member to come to school to change the diaper.”
* Teacher…“If a child is having accidents, wouldn’t the parent want to know what is causing the accidents, and want to deal with the accidents themselves. I don’t know if I would want a teacher to deal with it. Parenting doesn’t stop at the bus stop, or when you drop him off. If the child is having problems with hygiene or self-care skills consider pulling him out of school and holding him back a year. He still needs daytime parenting. It is not appropriate for teachers to step in with intimate parenting tasks that are needed. What is next; do the schools start giving baths to students?”
NO COMMON SENSE
ANALYZE THE EXAMPLE
* Which supports and barriers were in play?
* What were the dynamics?
* Who, or what, won the Tug-of-War?
* Discus the outcome with your friends and family.
* Use Post #4 as a reference for the relationships and dynamics between supports and barriers.