Let Them Go: My Thoughts on Bathroom Policies in the Classroom
When I was a brand-new teacher, my principal had a very clear rule:
Never deny a student the right to use the bathroom.
She told us, “I never want to have to call a parent and say, ‘I’m so sorry, your child had an accident because their teacher wouldn’t let them use the restroom.’”
At the time, some of my colleagues grumbled about it. But me? I loved it. And ever since, through teaching different grades in different schools, I’ve kept that policy as my own.
Let me tell you why—and how I make it work without chaos.
Why I Always Let Students Use the Bathroom
It comes down to respect and humanity.
I don’t know more about a child’s body than they do.
I don’t want to risk embarrassment, discomfort, or an accident just because I assumed they could wait.
Honestly, I don’t want someone telling me I can’t use the bathroom when I need to go. Why would I do that to a kid?
Yes, I know it can be tricky—especially with older students who might test boundaries. But ultimately, I believe bathroom use is a basic human right, and I’d rather deal with a few kids trying to skip math than deny someone a real need.
But... What About the Kids Who Take Advantage?
That’s a fair concern. I’ve been there. I taught sixth grade in Title I schools where behavior and bathroom shenanigans definitely happened. Here’s how we handled it:
1. We used a sign-in/out sheet.
Every student who left the room had to:
Write their name and time out
Grab the hall pass
Sign back in with the return time
It wasn’t a big deal to manage, and it helped in multiple ways:
Created accountability (they knew there was a record)
Gave us a way to check who was where, when
Helped identify patterns if students were frequently leaving at the same time each day
If someone was consistently taking long breaks or always leaving during the same subject, I’d talk with them privately. If needed, I’d loop in parents to figure out what was going on and how we could help.
2. We talked about it on Day One.
I made bathroom expectations super clear from the start:
“I respect you and your body. If you need to go, go. But I ask that you sign out, take the pass, and sign back in. If I notice patterns or issues, we’ll have a conversation—but as long as you’re respectful, I trust you.”
That trust made a huge difference. Most kids respected the policy, and honestly, I hardly had to address it again.
A Few More Real-Life Scenarios
If a student asked to go during direct instruction, I’d quietly ask, “Can you wait until I’m done teaching?”
If they said no, I’d say, “Okay, hurry back.”
If they said yes, I’d check in when the lesson wrapped up.
If someone else was already in the bathroom and another student asked to go, I’d ask them to wait. If they couldn’t, I’d check on the first student after a few minutes to make sure everything was okay.
And yeah—sometimes, it was annoying. Sometimes I rolled my eyes internally when a kid suddenly had to pee as soon as it was time for their least favorite subject.
But honestly?
I’d rather deal with that than a child feeling ashamed, uncomfortable, or humiliated because they weren’t allowed to take care of their body.
Choose Your Hard
If you spend 7+ hours a day with 30 kids, bathroom issues are going to happen. It’s just part of the job. But to me, allowing kids to use the bathroom when they need to is the better hard.
Some teachers set super strict rules. Others let kids come and go freely. We all have our reasons—but I’ve found that a middle-ground, respect-based approach works really well for me.
Fellow teachers: What do YOU think?
I know I’m not the only one with strong feelings about bathroom policies. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Do you have any tricks that work for managing bathroom use without power struggles?
Have you had experiences that changed your perspective?
Are you team “Let them go!” or team “Hold it till recess!”?
Drop a comment or share this post with a teacher friend. Let’s talk about it.