School Restroom Access - Need Your Ideas

[icnmgrjill]

Handling Bathroom Access For Schools

With a new school year shortly approaching, it's important for parents to consider restroom access for any children or teens who have bladder problems, including interstitial cystitis. The challenges can be many including schools that lock bathrooms during the school day and teachers who ask children to "hold it" rather than granting them access to use the restroom. Of course, in interstitial cystitis, restroom access is vital. It can be very uncomfortable if not painful for a child to "hold it" and, worse, to have to wait until a break to find the restroom, only to be met by a long line. Of course, maintaining your childs pride* and dignity is essential.

If you are a parent of a child with IC, we have a few suggestions


#1 - Talk with the school nurse and explain that your child or teen has interstitial cystitis and will require, on occasion, immediate restroom access. Bring some articles (i.e. CME's) to explain if necessary.

#2 - Ask the nurse to educate other teachers in that age group so that if your child is visiting in another classroom or the library, they can seek restroom access without embarassment.

#3 - When speaking with teacher, it's important to emphasize that interstitial cystitis is not just a child seeking attention or asking for special privileges. An IC patient has an immediate and urgent need to use the restroom due to irritation, inflammation and/or ulcers in their bladder. The longer the delay, the more irritation and discomfort the student will experience, including potentially severe pain. Asking a student to wait even five minutes for recess can be very uncomfortable.

#4 - Request the teacher to create a non-embarassing way for your child to ask for restroom access. It might be as simply as holding up a book, a post card or simply standing by the door. Forcing the child to ask to use the restroom in front of the other students can be very embarassing.

#5 - Ask the teacher to leave a note for any substitute teachers about your childs need for immediate restroom access and that expecting them to hold it can cause extreme discomfort.

#6 - Encourage the teacher to report back to you any unusual symptoms, such as a dramatic increase in your childs symptoms, to you so that you can monitor your childs symptoms and behavior.

#7 - School trips and bus rides - Just like adults, children with IC may find sitting in a car or long school bus rides hard. If your child is going on a field trip, make sure that you ask for accomodation for their restroom access. Yes, it can be very embarassing for the school bus to stop for one student but it can work. Better yet, most schools now have parents who drive children in their family cars. This is ideal for your child. If you have any field trips coming up, you may want to consider offering to be a driver to help make restroom access easier. Your child will greatly appreciate your help.

#8 - After a few days or weeks, talk with your child about how school is going? Is anyone giving them a hard time about using the restroom?? Are they being teased?? If so, contact the school and/or teacher again and ask, more firmly, for their help in caring for your childs illness. Disability law and rights are vital here. Ask about how the school supports disabled students. Ask for any disabled student policies. Ask if there is a disability expert at your School District office to advocate for you and educate school personnel about their responsibility towards those students with physical challenges.

#9 - For after school activities such as Scouting, 4-H or sports, take a moment and pull the leader or coach aside to explain IC and that your child will need restroom access. Remind them that asking your child to "hold it" can result in more severe symptoms and possibly pain. Ask for their support and for dignity for your child.

#10 - Talk with your child. Let them know that it is okay to ask to use the restroom as often as they need to. Let them know that school nurse and/or office can help them if they are feeling poorly. Remind them that they have done nothing wrong. There is no shame nor blame in having a bladder with an "owie."

We're looking for MORE "back to school" suggestions!!! Did we miss anything??? Please send them our way!

[leelee88]

Great Post!! Great Ideas Jill!

My son does not have IC but was on medicine for acne which required him to drink a lot of water. So this made him use the bathroom more often. I asked his Dr to please write a note and explain that he had to have the water and use the restroom often and why..I had the principle sign the note and the office made copies for all the teachers and my son also kept one in his wallet.. Most complied with no problems some were a little hesitant, but still let him go..

I do understand their purpose of not letting the restrooms be so accessible, there are things that go on in there that is only trouble.. It is sad though because that hurts others that really need it..

Also to note: My step daughter ended up with a UTI last year. Took her to the Dr come to find out she had been holding it all day because she was to afraid to ask to go.. She is a very shy person and does not like to stir any trouble so she would just hold it until she got home or go if she had a long enough break! I did go and talk to the principle about this also!! He explained that he or other staff had to escort the students to the bathrooms because this is how bad it had gotten.. These are Junior High kids!!

So I do think this has become a big issue in our schools!!

I :bow:to our teachers!!!

[Briza]

Hi Jill,
As a former teacher, I can say that you have addressed many great points that can make RR access much less of a stress-causing issue for IC patients in the classroom... (whether they be students, or teachers;)) Thank you! And the suggestions you posted are also a good guideline for students who may be dealing with other needing the bathroom NOW or any other health issues, as well, not just IC.:)
Just wanted to post that real quick b/c this is a really important topic...but I will read over your post again more thoroughly and will definitely post again with how I and my students who had bathroom or health issues of any sort were able to work things out so that there were the fewest disruptions possible during classtime, and even more importantly, how to make it work so that other students in the class were oftentimes not aware AT ALL that any student with a necessary health accomodation of any sort was receiving any special accomodations...And yes it can be done so much so that when accomodations are handled just right, oftentimes other students in the class are none the wiser.;)

[Briza]

Great Post!! Great Ideas Jill!
I do understand their purpose of not letting the restrooms be so accessible, there are things that go on in there that is only trouble.. It is sad though because that hurts others that really need it..

He explained that he or other staff had to escort the students to the bathrooms because this is how bad it had gotten.. These are Junior High kids!!

So I do think this has become a big issue in our schools!!

I :bow:to our teachers!!!

you are right, leelee, yes the RRs are often locked; sometimes not all of the time, but often locking the RRs during classtime is implemented when there have been recurring episodes of $#@ of whatever kind going on in the RR....just use your imagination:rolleyes:...from the "minor" skipping class and graffiti in the RRs... to the Really bad stuff that involves student and schoolwide safety... and then there's the just plain gross stuff...will leave out the details on THAT....

so escorting students, even at Jr Hi level (can ya believe??), to the RR is unfortunately often necessary...to keep the trouble makers from causing trouble and also for the safety of those students who really just need to get to the RR and back without fear. Sad but true.

But there are ways to work with the system! and I will post some things that to add to Jill's great suggestions!

[kadi]

Yes, to all of the above. Nicely written post, Jill!

At the middle school where I worked & the high school where I currently work, students on restroom passes have been caught: having sex in the bathrooms, buying/selling drugs, using drugs or alcohol, assaulting other students, setting fires, vandalizing with markers & worse -- used menstrual pads or feces. I worry not so much that my particular students will engage in such behavior, but I worry about them walking in on someone doing these things & then being in danger from witnessing it.

The world is a scary place! But maybe it has been for awhile. When I was a senior in high school 23 years ago, several girls were sexually assaulted in our bathrooms by a strange man who came onto campus. We spent the rest of the year having to go in partners...

And yes, UTI's from "holding it" are definitely a problem. I wonder what the stats say about teachers & urinary problems, since we can't write ourselves a bathroom pass.

[stacey79]

When I was in eighth grade, about 16 years ago, my IC was bad. My urologist actually wrote a note on a prescription pad that I needed to have unlimited restroom access. I pulled it out a few times when teachers were giving me trouble. Most, I am glad to say, were very understanding. My friends and I called it my "pee pee pass." It really did help, and it helped relieve some of my anxiety.

[iledelafrance]

thanks for the post.

my mother had to talk to my teachers when i was a child and tell them i was allowed to just get up and go.

good discussion, esp. being frank about protecting kids from weird restroom activities.

[CherylSLP]

You briefly noted the legal requirements a school has to provide for students with disabilities. What I would highly recommend (I work in special education) is to ask about a 504 plan for the child with IC specifying when and how often (as needed should be included) the child can go to the bathroom. Medical issues are one of the reasons schools use 504 plans. Sometimes the special education director is in charge of those, sometimes someone else. But every school should have a 504 coordinator.

[kadi]

Just a note that a 504 plan is not for special education students, it is for those students who do not qualify for special education status, but need an educational accomodation for another reason. Just mentioning this so that people will not worry their child will be labelled as disabled for having a 504 plan. Great idea, wish I'd thought of it myself!

[psj]

Hello - I am a university student in Canada who was diagnosed with IC about a year ago. I never attended primary or secondary school in Canada, so I don't really know too much about restroom access at Canadian/U.S. schools. But what comes to my mind is that if student restrooms are locked up during class time, asking for access to staff/teacher restrooms might be a solution? If I was a student at any institution where I did not have constant access to a restroom, I would get really anxious...

As a university student, I have solved the "restroom access problem" by letting my Professors know at the beginning of each semester that I have a chronic bladder problem and will need access to restrooms during class time. So far all my professors have been very understanding.

I also approached some professors about access to restrooms when giving long group presentations in class - for example asking that my group be the first to present right after a break (i.e. so I can use the restroom right before) and that I can be the first one in the group to present, so that if I need to use the restroom during the presentation, I can do so. All my Professors have been really understanding (one even offered to present for me as long as I do the preparation of the presentation! Wow! I did do the presentation myself though, but it definitely was a very nice offer).

[kadi]

I'm always so happy to hear that instructors & teachers have been helpful & kind.

[LithEruiel]

Wow, it is really scary what goes on in schools....

A few years after I graduated high school someone at the school, lets just say defecated in an inappropriate place in the boys restroom. The principal responded to this by saying that no one could use the restroom...AT ALL...unless the person who did it confessed...this included boys and girls. I don't know if anyone ever did confess...they had been not allowing people to go for a long time when I heard about it (I had a cousin that went to school there at the time). This is a private school, so they didn't necessarily have to accommodate students with disabilities? (Throughout the years I remember some students having to go to public school because our school just didn't have the resources to meet their needs - I went to a very poor Catholic elementary school and a somewhat poor Catholic high school.) They got away with doing this, but I don't see how.