By: When you hear that people are being denied restroom breaks, you’ll likely expect to hear a story about a sweatshop in Bangladesh, Haiti or China. You might find a story like that in an American history book covering the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. You would probably be shocked to learn that the denial of restroom breaks occurred in a public school in San Diego, California, in the year 2014. You might be even more surprised to learn that the restroom breaks were denied to not just any public school attendees, but children in the 3rd grade.
Modern American workers are permitted to take restroom breaks. This is a right that is widely accepted as a basic human right for working adults. And if this right is widely accepted for adults, why wouldn’t the same right be extended to elementary school children in San Diego? It is cruel and inhumane to deny people the right to use the restroom. However, that modern trend didn’t sit well with at least one San Diego elementary school principal. For her school, she believed that elementary school students in the 2013-14 academic school year should be arbitrarily capped at two restroom passes for the entire school year.
When a parent sends their child to school, they shouldn’t have to worry about their child being denied such a basic human need. When that basic human need is denied, it can be dangerous to a child’s health. In a lawsuit that we filed this year, we are seeking justice for a little girl that is now facing serious health concerns due her being forced to hold it. Watch the video below to find out how the school’s policy made little sense, and harmed children.