First Graders Were “Crying and Pleading to Go to the Restroom” After Teacher Banned Them Because They Lost Hall Pass
Up to five first graders from Bartlett Elementary School near Houston went home wet last week after their teacher prevented them from using the bathroom for losing their permission badges.
Parent Amber Johnson called out the school in a Facebook post, asking, “Conroe Independent School District: Want to explain why your teachers are not allowing first graders to utilize the restroom? This is sick … These kids were made to sit in their piss clothes all day long.”
In the message sent to parents and reported by KHOU-TV, the teacher said the students lost their bathroom privileges because they lost their “restroom badge” while they were in the hallway.
The school didn’t release the teacher’s name, but two news outlets identified her as Ashley Barrera.
“Unfortunately, we had some friends who really needed to use the restroom and ended up peeing on themselves,” the teacher wrote.
She went on to apologize to the parents, saying, “I had (a) talk with the students about how important it is to use our thing appropriately, but please have a talk with them about that as well. For I know that if we both help them understand the rules, they will understand it better.”
The message assured the parents the students would receive new badges the following day.
Parents said the apology was not enough.
“It’s just appalling, it’s very appalling, it’s sad,” Johnson told KHOU-TV. “The amount of infections and health things that can come from a child holding their urine that long is unacceptable.”
Johnson’s daughter described a stressful atmosphere in the classroom.
“She was telling me that her friends were crying and pleading to go to the restroom,” she said.
Another mother, who wished not to be identified, told the station her daughter “had to walk around in soaking clothes and soaking shoes. It’s very frustrating, it’s very frustrating.”
She was upset to learn that there was also a teacher’s aide in the classroom at the time of the bathroom ban.
“They’re an adult, you know, common sense would be, ‘OK, well, she’s not letting them go to the bathroom, there’s multiple students saying that they need to go to the restroom, that’s a human right, period,'” the mother said. “It doesn’t matter if someone was playing in the restroom, lost a pass or whatever.”
Soon after, Bartlett principal Charita Smith messages parents informing them the teacher had been put on leave pending an investigation.
That probe concluded Friday, as the school district disclosed in a press release.
“Bartlett Elementary and District administrators were made aware of a situation after school dismissed on Wednesday in which a first grade teacher at the school denied students access to the restroom as a punishment,” the statement read. “We have conducted a comprehensive investigation, and the teacher is no longer employed by Conroe ISD.”
This incident is not a reflection of the thousands of exceptional educators teaching in classrooms across the District,” it continued. “We are committed to supporting the students and families impacted by this upsetting event and are dedicated to fostering a culture of mutual respect and care among all students, families, and staff.”
Johnson applauded the district’s decision but told The Houston Chronicle she won’t be satisfied until “she isn’t teaching any of our children.”
