Have you ever raised your hand, nervously hoping the teacher calls on you so you can go use the bathroom, but receive the disappointing answer that you have no more passes or will lose points? Most of us students have experienced that frustrating and unwanted feeling when nature calls, but a bathroom policy – commonly an incentive program – prohibits you from freely heeding to your bathroom needs. A debate rages between the belief that students should be allowed to freely use the bathroom without consequences and the argument that it is too disruptive to the class.
One of the main arguments in favor of bathroom passes is that using the bathroom is an excuse to fool around in the hallways during valuable class time. Teachers believe that enforcing the bathroom policy maximizes learning time and motivates students to stay in the class to receive as much instructional time as possible. However, students who abuse bathroom privileges should be punished individually without depriving the rest of the class of a natural right. Students make the choice to leave the classroom, consequently losing classroom time is their responsibility; if you go to bathroom, either out of necessity or to fool around, you are responsible to complete the missed work. There will always be students taking advantage of the school system, but depriving everyone of a natural right is not a productive solution.
Although some may be leaving classes to play around there are others who are truly suffering from holding in their bladder. Countless teachers restrict bathroom passes and ignore the fact that, once a month, all women have to change their pad/tampons every few hours during their period. It is unreasonable for teachers to expect students, especially females, to be able to wait in the long lines, use the bathroom, and arrive to their next class on time, all in the span of 6 minutes. The lack of time allotted discourages people from prioritizing their health needs at the risk of accumulating tardies or being forced to beg their teachers to let them go during class time.
Additionally, most people do not even take into consideration that not being able to use the bathroom freely can lead to serious medical issues. Besides causing discomfort, holding in large amounts of urine for an extended period of time also exposes the body to potentially harmful bacteria, which increase the chances of getting a urinary tract or bladder infection, especially for women. Ignoring the urge to poop wreaks even more havoc. Stool can pile up, stretching the rectum and pressing against the bladder. Furthermore, going through an entire day without urinating likely means you are not drinking enough water, which is also harmful for your body.
Although managing the classroom can be hard, going to the bathroom is a natural urge that should not be suppressed into waiting an extra 10-20 minutes, or not even going at all during a 58 minute class. Going to the bathroom is a biological necessity, not something that can be denied or earned. School systems should not be allowed to give students prizes for ignoring their body’s needs.