Am i being scammed?? LONG

I posted a few Weeks ago asking what everyone's ( middle school and highschool mainly) bathroom policy was.I had a parent come to the principal saying her son had an accident in class and that he needs to be allowed to go WHENEVER he needs to go. The principal approached me and was VERY Nice about it..

This week I get a call that parent ( different kid) is in the office and he is IRATE BC his son had an accident and I didn't let him go to the bathroom.After meeting and apologizing left an right along with one of the AP's I got to thinking( and my dh also put this idea in my head)

Does anyone else find it odd in SIXTH grade that children are having accidents and NO ONE HAS WITNESSED THEM! Dh thinks its a scam that these kid are pulling, I teach in a not SO great area and the kids are street smart much more than book smart..

Now with this 2nd child my ap got a bit of an attitude saying that i need to make judgemt calls as to who has to go and who is just looking to get out of the room.He says if they ask once say not right now..If they ask again let them go... If they don't ask it means they didn't have to go and forgot about it but if they ask again that means they NEED to go.. I find this theory to be BS bc I have had kids who I know are looking to get out of the room ask 20 times until I say yes.. They don't really have to go they WANT TO GET OUT OF CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now a day later I get a letter in my mailbox form aparent( 3rd different kid) saying let her son go to the bathroom whenever he wanst he is diabetic.. Shouldn't I have knownthis before? and should it be a not form a dr not the mom?

I am sorry i went to private school and if you asked to go to the bathroom and the teacher said no YOU HELD IT. iam 3 months prego and I teach for 3 hours straight rightafter lunch and I don't go to the bathroom and I don't complain..

Do you think its just weird coincidence three kids in 2 weeks or am I being scammed.. Oh one more thing Dh thinks they are throwing water on themselves or since no one seas it just out right lying.

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

i teach 6th grade in a private school and i do go by the ask once say no ask again yes but NOT always i make the judgement call

as far as these children coming forward out of the woodwork and saying all of sudden these kids have problem....i tell my parents at orientation night that this is the deal with the bathroom and that if their kids need to go often they should have a note from a doctor so i could put it on file....for ex i have a kid with crowns disease for example she has an agreement with me that if its an emergency she makes eye contact with me and leaves....otherwise kids know the drill and know that at lunch and recess they must go to the bathroom bc after lunch its only for emergencies

there has to be a bathroom policy instated in ur classroom/school to avoid sketchy situations and the school needs to stick to it

Message edited 10/6/2007 8:28:03 AM.

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

I find that this is a very popular excuse especially where I work..I have 2 girls who I have letters from.

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

First of all..if they did have an accident, where did they go to change? We would send the child to the nurse's office where she would have clothes for him/her to change into and they would have to sign in there so that it was documented that they visited her office. Did you touch base with the nurse to see if the kids went there to change? If not, it sounds pretty fishy.
Also, if that child has diabetes you should have DEFINETLY been informed by the school nurse. Again, I would check with her.
I would be pizzed that I have 6th graders that are wetting themselves. Can't they go between periods? Where is the responsibilty here? My own kindergartener takes care of this himself! It drives me crazy when middle schoolers still expect to be treated like babies.

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

the school policy is thatthey CAN NOT go the first and lastten minutes of wach period. They can not go in between classes either. Its is up to th teacher when to let them go during class. BUt i find it hard to belive 10 kids have to go at once EVERY DAY at the same time.

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

Do your kids move from class to class, or do the teachers move? In my school we go to the kids and they are in the room all day. I make my kids sign out in a notebook because I have a similar problem with the same kids always wanting to go. This way, I can see who went last period, and if they ask to go again when I am there, I know.

I do find it sketchy that suddenly three kids have letters from their parents. In all the years I have taught, I have only had one note from a parent, and this was for a kid whose asking wasn't excessive. If it was a parent note and not a doctor note, I'd be suspicious.

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

I do think it's weird that you haven't seen any evidence of these accidents. Are you self contained? I know it's a PITA but maybe you could take them as a class in the am and pm. They won't have as much fun in the hallway and bathroom when their teacher is escorting them and nagging them to hurry up and get out.

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

I find it hard to believe that a sixth grader is having accidents...

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

It definitely seems suspicious to me.

My policy, you can not go the first or last 10 minutes of class. I rarely (if ever) let students leave during notes so this gives them only a few minutes where students have the opportunity to leave. Seems to work.

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

definitely sounds sketchy.

but why in the world can't they go to the bathroom in between periods if they can make it to class on time? sometimes you just gotta go!

Re: Am i being scammed?? LONG

I think it's suspicious that two 6th graders are saying they are having accidents and you have never seen it happen. And why are you just finding out now that another kid has diabetes?

Anyway, does your school have a policy whereby if a student has medical documentation, the bathroom policy is waived? If not, I'd talk to administration about requiring a doctor's note from each student. The diabetic shouldn't have a problem getting a note. The two boys who have "accidents," if they truly are having them, should receive medical attention for their enuresis. No doctor's note, no pass. I'd hope your administration would back you up.