By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The mother of a third grade girl attending Mill Plain Elementary School in Vancouver, Washington is demanding changes in a school room program where students are required to pay to use the bathroom. The program was to be a lesson in money management where students received and worked for Monopoly Money to buy items in the classroom but the teacher required a payment of M$50.00 in order to use the bathroom.
Jasmine Al-Ayadhi told reporters her nine year old daughter, Reem, did not want to pay to use the bathroom and ultimately had an accident, causing her both discomfort and having to endure teasing by other children. In agreeing with the need to teach children the value of money Jasmine said, “Work for your money, to earn it, to buy like a little toy or a little squirt gun or a little ball. When it comes to a bathroom issue, when a child has to pay money to use the bathroom – that’s wrong. It’s inhumane. That’s a health issue.”
Reem said the students in her class earn money by doing things, such as good deeds, being nice, and finishing school work. She said she uses the money to buy treats like popcorn and pizza.
She also said each student in her class has to pay their teacher M$50 dollars in pretend money to go to the bathroom.
On Thursday, Reem was down to her last M$50. She also had to go to the bathroom. She wanted to buy popcorn, like her friends were doing. She said she wasn’t allowed to go to the bathroom because she didn’t want to pay. She then had an embarrassing accident.
“When it comes to using the bathroom, having to hold her pee, and if she wants to use the bathroom, you make a choice,” Jasmine said. “OK, if you want to use the bathroom it’s going to cost you M$50, but then you don’t have money to buy popcorn. What do you think a child’s going to do?”
The school gave Reem a change of clothes, a pair of royal blue boy’s basketball shorts. Reem said the other kids made fun of her for having an accident, and then for having to wear boys clothes.
“It didn’t feel so well because I had to wear boy pants and I did get teased,” Reem said.
Jasmine said she talked to the principal on Thursday, who promised to follow up about the issue on Friday. As of Friday night, Jasmine said she hadn’t heard back.
“This is a school,” Jasmine said. “This isn’t a jail. This isn’t a prison. We send our kids to school to learn and to get a good education.”
The school’s spokeswoman released a statement.
“We were made aware of the situation Friday evening. We will investigate as soon as possible Monday morning. We work hard to ensure the health and safety of every child and will make sure we do not have any classroom rule that prevents that.”
A similar incident occurred in Lebanon, Oregon and was reported by news station KATU of Portland, Oregon and the school principal dropped the payment requirement after the story aired.
A pediatrician was consulted and provided an opinion of this based upon his experience. Dr. Bruce Birk is a Portland pediatrician. He says that there’s consensus in the medical community on this issue.
“It would be chaos in a classroom for teachers not to have a system,” says Birk. “Holding in the classroom in between well-established potty breaks has not been shown in any sense of the word to be harmful to kids.”
Yet the message this might be teaching children is something that some parents are going to have much objection to. But not only the parents have concerns, the incident at Mill Plain Elementary could have been interpreted as close to violating state law, at least in the sprit of the law as noted by the state legislature.
In 1977, when bathrooms requiring payment were more common, the legislature enacted a law in the state’s Public Health and Safety code to address the issue of those needing to use restrooms and facility owners demanding payment for their use. The law reads:
RCW 70.54.160
Public restrooms — Pay facilities — Penalty.(1) Every establishment which maintains restrooms for use by the public shall not discriminate in charges required between facilities used by men and facilities used by women.
(2) When coin lock controls are used, the controls shall be so allocated as to allow for a proportionate equality of free toilet units available to women as compared with those units available to men, and at least one-half of the units in any restroom shall be free of charge. As used in this section, toilet units are defined as constituting commodes and urinals.
(3) In situations involving coin locks placed on restroom entry doors, admission keys shall be readily provided without charge when requested, and notice as to the availability of the keys shall be posted on the restroom entry door.
(4) Any owner, agent, manager, or other person charged with the responsibility of the operation of an establishment who operates such establishment in violation of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.
While many could see this as making a mountain out of a mole hill, one has to ask what kind of lesson a policy requiring payment by nine year old students to use a bathroom teaches children.
By Darren Smith
Sources:
KATU
Revised Code of Washington
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
Then borrow money from a buddy for the popcorn.
Dear God! Some people should never be let near children.
I would pay up and drain it!
I guess you would also pee your pants?
It’s not play money if it buys you a needed trip to the bathroom or a box of popcorn.
Malo – we are talking about the international publicity. Actually, there are federal laws that prevent the school from reporting this. 🙂 This is a token economy, it is often used in the classroom and elsewhere to teach children about money. Some parents use it in their homes to award token money to be used later for goodies the child can buy.
Bullied? Kids that age pee their pants ALL THE TIME. You’re projecting your shame on the kid.
LOL, LOL, LOL It is play money!!
Simms, Not only does none of these enablers have a problem w/ this girls mother, they are going to nominate her for Mother of the Year. I want this teacher working w/ my kids any day and pray they never get the ilk here.
The point is no one need to pay to go to the bathroom. What’s frightening is that an adult does not understand that.
BFM, That thought is certainly a nice one, but a 9 year old is incapable of formulating that complex a thought of delayed gratification. Maybe in retrospect she will see it as heroic. Much more likely it will be part of a long list of problem she discusses w/ her shrink about her needy mother and her poor upbringing.
@bigfatmike “Then again the daughter may come to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment that she played an important part in bring a halt to the insanity – much like giving testimony to bring a criminal to justice.”
I wish I lived in that world, but I think the chances of the daughter being bullied by this for the next few years are far greater.
Max 1
You misunderstand my position. My remarks regarding competition was in response to Nick’s following comment:
‘No competition, no running and jumping on the playground, everyone gets a ribbon, no F’s, all part of diminishing valuable lessons in favor of false self esteem. What the education industry has created a narcissistic generation, all thinking they are “special” and feeling entitled’
———–
I had already made it clear that I thought the “bathroom dollars” was reprehensible and should have been stopped immediately.
@Max-1 “Simms,
I fail to see how Jasmine Al-Ayadhi’s behavior exonerates the teacher’s behavior… Break it down for us.”
I did not say her behavior exonerates the teacher’s behavior. Please reread my post and look up the term “mutually exclusive.”
Let me ONCE AGAIN relate the salient point here. The child HAD THE MONEY to go to the bathroom[need]. She chose to save it for popcorn[want]. It is frightening how many of the parents here can’t even ACKNOWLEDGE this fundamental point.
Simms,
I fail to see how Jasmine Al-Ayadhi’s behavior exonerates the teacher’s behavior… Break it down for us.
What would you say about the situation had the mother not disclosed her daughter’s name? Good job teach?
It’s absurd to blame a adult who wasn’t in the room at the time for what the true adult in the room of 25 children did… That’s where you lost me.
feynman,
There is a difference in a “competition” and going to the bathroom…
Someone said that empathy can’t be learned… I question that assumption.
Empathy is the ability to relate to people, places, or environment.
Although Jane Elliot refers to race as her subject, empathy can be learned by exposure to it. There’s earlier videos TEACHING children about empathy and racism, however for this lot, she also taught adults.
How Racist Are You? – Jane Elliott’s Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Exercise
There is no end of competition for school children. Stop making things up. We could start with something familiar – kids playing baseball. Are all the games played to a tie? Do all kids get straight As? Do all kids win the Science Fair? Do all kids win the spelling bee? Do both candidates get to be class president? Do all the kids get to be team captain? Do all the kids get to play the lead in the school play – editor of the school paper?
The School of Tough Love is a School for Bullies.
If I have this right, winning at baseball is sign of bullying, winning the science fair is a sign of bullying, being selected for the lead in the school play is a sign of bullying? Where do you get this stuff?
Teaching empathy: Evidence-based tips for fostering empathy in children
Gwen Dewar, Ph.D.
http://www.parentingscience.com/teaching-empathy-tips.html
This is the correct link for the current incident we are discussing:
http://www.katu.com/news/local/Mom-outraged-over-third-grade-class-potty-policy-wants-change-259629411.html?mobile=y
The notions that the teacher behaved improperly, the principal behaved improperly AND the mother behaved improperly are not mutually exclusive. I’m not sure why all but one of you are giving the mother a pass for exposing her daughter on the internet.
When the principal didn’t call back, all the mother had to do was leave a message that said “Either I’m meeting with you at 7AM Monday or I’m meeting with KATU at 7AM Monday.” Instead, the mother chose to guarantee that her daughter will be humiliated for years to come.
” Instead, the mother chose to guarantee that her daughter will be humiliated for years to come.”
Then again the daughter may come to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment that she played an important part in bring a halt to the insanity – much like giving testimony to bring a criminal to justice.
I would bet that this media savvy mother will be able to put this in proper perspective for her daughter.
It is amazing how different roles can give different appreciation. Being the one who wet your pants may be embarrassing. Being the one who spoke up and brought attention to help solve a real problem is quite different.
I would not be a bit surprised if we hear a lot more from this girl as the years pass.
bfm – we will hear the same things about this girl because the mother taught her to become a victim. I do not think the principal or staff handled the situation properly, but I do not hold the teacher at fault. This has became a big deal because of the mother. It wasn’t the school that reported this.