Water Issue...ANGRY....need advice - Page 4

[lorijds]

I asked my kiddos (k and 3rd grader) what they did if they got thirsty in class. The Ker said they have to raise their hand and ask to go to the water fountain, but they can only go one at a time. I asked her if the teacher ever said no, and she said only if there was already someone getting a drink. The fountain and bathrooms are right outside their door.

My 3rd grader said they don't have to ask, they just have to quietly go and come right back, again with only a one at a time rule. This applies to using the bathroom or getting a drink. She said that one boy abused it (ie, he got caught running around the school while on a bathroom break), and he must ask permission and the teacher has to accompany him for two weeks. I asked if she could go as many times as she wanted, and she said sure.

So, to the OP, I am glad you are addressing this, both by getting your son checked out by the doc to make sure that there aren't any contributing factors, and by addressing it positively and productively.

My dh is a teacher, so I know just enough about school policy to probably get me in trouble. But here is my advice to you. Check with the school superintendants office and tell them you want the official policy on allowing children to get drinks, have bathroom breaks, and keep water available to them in the classroom. I suspect you will find there is no policy. Then, go to the school nurses and enlist their help. They will probably be happy to help. One would hope, anyhow.

Finally, contact some of the teachers on this forum. Ask them exactly what is done in their classrooms and schools, how problems are handled, etc. Then, approach the principal. Have information about the problems with dehydration, and the advantages of properly hydrated children; the nurses could help you with this, but here are some ideas:

dehydration leads to:

nasal irritation and more frequent nose bleeds
decrease in concentration abilities
headaches
irritability
muscle cramps and muscle irritability (leading to restless children who can't sit still )
nausea and abdominal cramps
low-grade fever
increased frequency of urinary tract infection
hunger and the urge to over eat

What would even be nicer is if the nurses wrote this and signed it. Included in the letter could be the Amercian Academy of Pediatric's recommendations of daily fluid intake (if such specific recommendations exist) and/or quotes from nursing and nutritional textbooks on appropriate fluid intake for children, as well as the dangers of even mild dehydration.

Then, give him some ideas on how to get the kids to drink more. Include what other teachers have done, and how they have handled and resolved any possible disruptions/problems caused by increasing water access. Provide age specific ideas, and also, if you are talking about gettingwater bottles, or having the kids get water bottles, you might suggest some ideas on how to procure those. I know at our school, we have kids who don't even have gloves and winter coats; there is no way their parents are going to all be able to provide water bottles. This could be something that the school PTA does. You could even get little water bottles with the school name and/or logo on them. The PTA could provide each student with one every year, with more available for purchase, for example.

If it doesn't fly with the pricipal, go to the superintendent and the school board. Then, if it still doesn't fly, get the media and the local doctors offices involved.

Good luck. I am proud of you for advocating for your son, but doing it in such a manner that is respectful to the people who work hard to teach and care for your son during the day. I think you are more likely to have good results with your efforts if you remain respectful and enthusiatic.

Keep us posted!!

Lori

[mimim]

I would like to add another teacher's opinion. I taught at an urban private school for three years. Water bottles were allowed - no problem. Some kids brought them everyday, some brought them occasionally, others rarely. They did sometimes spill, or cause distractions in other ways, but no more than trips to the drinking fountain and everyone stayed hydrated. I currently substitute teach part time for the local public schools. I am sent to a variety of schools and many of the classes have water bottles allowed. From what you have told us, I see no reason why your son's school would be so obtuse about this issue.
Another issue is the the 'special treatment' statement that was made. Of course your son should recieve special treatment. He is an individual with unique needs, physically, mentally, and emotionally. All educators should understand this. All good teacher education programs stress modifying the learning environment for individual needs.
On another note, I realize I am sticking my nose in your buisness unasked, but 10 hours is an excrutiatingly long day for such a young child - or for anyone. If I were you, I would seriously reconsider that after school program. Maybe he could do something for an hour or two a couple of days a week instead. Sorry if I've over stepped here.

[Lovebugsmommy]

First off i want to state that i only read the first page of this thread ... so if the issue has been resolved sorry.

i taught in public school, and i was a very "pushover" type teacher that i later learned was more classified as ap then pushover... iwould rather blah blah blah than this that and the other.

my water policy was when it was hot (90 + deg) you could get a drink whenever but only one person at the drinking fountain at a time.

after p.e. the kids could have "10" drinks (count of ten) but then they had to go to the end of the line if the wanted more. some kids got in line 4 or 5 times but some kids only had a "2" drink...

as for water on the desk well it's just a nuisance... water leaks on their work it "accidently" splashes a friend... it gets poured on their heads because they were"HOT" : some kids have 64 oz waters some have 6 oz waters some kids have frozen waters and some kids forget theirs....so we had a no water bottle in the classroom thing... but we had a fountain in the classroom it was in the back and when things went smoothly the child would quietly walk back get a drink and return to their seats when it was bad oh it was loud slurping sighing oh i'm so hotting... mess but they all got their water...

btw the teacher in traditional public schools have water because duh their the only ones supposed to be talking... don't you know kids learn ONLY when the are talked down too:LOL

[kama'aina mama]

I mentioned this issue recently to a friend of mine. We are at a co-op preschool together and her daughter starts kinder next year. So I asked her if we, at preschool were wasting our time when we put out the water jug every day and remind the kids that it is healthy to drink water and encourage them to get a drink on their way in from outside play.. only to send them off to "big school" and have them denied access to all of that. She told me hers tory. She used to teach in South Central LA. They had awater fountain in her classroom but she was told to limit how much the kids drank from it because the pipes contained lead. She said, "In no way did it work for me to be telling small children, 'sure, you can drink some lead tainted water, but not enough to quench your thirst'!" So she called Sparklets and had them install a cooler in her room at her expense. Everyone laughed at her. Not only did it fail to cause the predicted disruption but in the late afternoons her class was almost always the calmest. In a few months more than half the other teachers had followed suit. They were like a half day stop for the water guy!

[mamaofthree]

Well, I think I read all the posts here and I actually thought about this a lot yesterday and even woke up this morning thinking about this. (OK so I am weird)

My thoughts, for what they are worth..... Dehydration is a serious problem, some one else already listed the problems that can happen to the body if you do not get enough to drink, so I won't do it again. I am a nurse, I live in the desert, we see a lot of dehydration in the summers, and most of the time it is either the elderly or kids. And here school goes until the end of may and starts the middle of August... it is BLAZING hot here in August! Also it doesn't have hot or summer for people to get dehyrdated. Another bad time of year is in the winter... people aren't thinking about their thirst as much, so they don't drink enough.
I was SHOCKED by some of the comments by the teachers. I do homeschool at this time, but my DD went to PS for 2 1/2 years, and when I sent her I sent her with the belief that the teachers where there not ONLY to teach, but to also look out for the well fare of their charges. I trusted them to make sure that my daughter was doing ok. I didn't see them as babysitters, I saw them as an extension of me. How is my DD doing physically and emotionally, as well as in bookwork. They had her with them for 6-7 hours a day (depending on the grade and school). OT a little, being a nurse I try to look at all my patients as if they were either ME or someone I loved. And I try my hardest to give them the care I would want for myself or my family. I just assumed that a teacher would do the same. What I mean by that is this... look at all children as INDIVIDUALS!, and having basic human needs, some have more than others, that is what makes each of us unique!That they would treat MY CHILD as they would treat their own, or as they would want someone to treat their child. An example from my line of work is this. Someone get a hip replaced due to a fall, Dr. orders pain meds every 6-8 hours. But my Patient is elderly, has arthritis in her back ,and hands and feet, she HURTS all the time. I must advocate for her that the pain med isn't enough, we use position changes, and destraction, but in the end she may just need something more or different then what she is getting. Some nurses don't go the extra step, and get a new order, because "most people" do fine with this med given this often. BULL CRAP! People (children included!) are all different, and each has their own needs to be met. So OP's son is a person who may need MORE fluid in a day than just 16-20 oz (and for the record most people do!) but yet he is denied! NOT RIGHT! Ok back to the topic ... Ok well sort of! My dd also has a "nervous" bladder, so she feels the need to pee often, whether she actually has to go or not. I told the teachers flat out this was her deal, and I would be royally pissed if she came home in wet pants because of this "problem". She is her own person, her body isn't mine or anyone elses. How can I teacher her to trust her bodies signals if others don't respect them? I guess luckly for me, she ahd good/nice/understanding teachers, who had a very easy going toilet policy. Also they ALL sent home letters saying "PLEASE" send the kids with water bottles... and you know what??? There where NO PROBLEMS! NONE!
I think if you treat kids with respect, MOST of them will "earn it". They like having that feeling that they can be trusted to make the "right" choice.
I am really impressed with the OP. I am NOT a diplomat! I get pissed and in peoples faces when it comes to my kids.
To the OP, I hope it all goes well, with the school. I honestly can't see (this is coming from a nurse now, so I am all for people keeping well! ) the school not seeing the light. Good luck! Your a great mama standing up for your childs well fare and also that of other children!
Also I hope all goes well at the doctors office visit. It is a good thing to get you DS checked out. If for no other reason then several days of dehydration can take a while to get over! Hopefully it is nothing too serious.

H

[hvl25]

this is ridiculous Both of the schools my son had attended have allowed water bottles in the classroom. Heck, I bet they sell pop in your childs school. I would write a letter to the principal and CC it to the superintendent and if that doesn't work, then I would start calling local tv stations and newspapers. Its a shame your son is so dehydrated that he is physically sick and the school wants to do nothing.

[mama_kass]

UPDATE!
I sent in a letter to the principal along with six different resources that specifically addressed the need for free access to water in school, how to do it, and where to get more information. In my letter I stuck to the facts and pointed out why free access to water is an important health and education issue.

I waited....and waited....not too long....he responded!

He told me that he had already started to read up on this issue and that the information that I sent was very appreciated and helpful. We are having a meeting next week. He said at his next teacher's meeting he is going to bring up this issue. He is going to find a way to provide water in the classroom. He said he's going to contact some schools that have done this and talk to the principals about what they did.

I'm so excited about this! I have also thought about calling the newspaper when the new policy takes place. Maybe other parents, teachers, and principals will see how important and easy it is to provide free access to water and they will do it too.

[shelbean91]

That's great! Maybe call the paper now- to get the excitement going, also so they can't back out or decide it's too difficult.......

You know, something like 'wow, you'll never believe what my school is doing.....'

Congrats!

[lorijds]

Yea! You should be so proud...one mama, changing the world for the better, a little bit at a time.

Thanks for the update.

Good job, Mama!!!

Lori

[Leonor]

Originally posted by CK'sMama
A little off topic here. I remember when I was in grade school we had the 5 second rule at the fountain whether we were still thirsty or not. And I also recall the teachers always sipping from a water bottle at their desks during silent reading time.

Disgusting! Yet another reason to homeschool.

[Piglet68]

Way to go, mama kass!!

[wende]

Congrats to you for keeping a cool head and going about that the proper way! I'm glad that they are taking such an important issue to heart w/o a lot of fuss and struggling. I'm so happy for you!

[saturnine25]

Wow, congratulations!! I've been wondering how his situation was going to turn out. Good for you!!