Case
Too Much Time in the Bathroom

At the school that I am interning at there is a student in one of my classes who takes excessive amounts of time in the bathroom. Sometimes, it will take this student up to 20 minutes to use the bathroom right around the corner, and come back. We are not sure whether or not the student is actually using the bathroom or just saying that he is so he does not have to participate. My CT, her assistant and I are all women, so we are unable to go into the bathroom. What should we do?

Posted on: 10/04/16 | Views: 1511
Solution #1
Top Solution
I would refer to the teachers code of conduct/warning system, talk with the student and see if there could be something else that could be going on to cause said behavior. If this fails speak with parent about behavior for it might be a health problem that no one is yet aware of that needs to be looked at. If resolution is still yet to be found, when students needs to use the restroom have their be a buddy system or have him use it in the office where he can be monitored.
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Solution #2
I would contact the student's parents/guardians to make them aware of the situation and talk about any possible medical conditions the child might have. I would want to make sure that this is not a medical condition before I time the student or have them escorted to the restroom. If the student is goofing off, I like the suggestion of waiting a few minutes then walking the halls to see what may be going on. If you find that the student is goofing off I would give them a warning. If need be, a male staff member might need to walk them to the restroom until the problem is resolved.

I agree with this and this is probably what I would do in the same situation.

I think this solution is the one I would use in the classroom, but for the buddy system I would always pair with the responsible one. And if somehow they both are taking forever, you could always call for a male janitor, administrator, or teacher, to handle the situation so you don't have to leave your class.

I agree and this is what I would do if I were in this situation. maybe the student has something going on that you are unaware of.

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Solution #3
When handling something like this the most important thing is to not cause embarrassment to the student. Tracking students restroom uses through a sign in/out sheet will document the students bathroom uses and amount of time out of the classroom. After this, a private conversation with the student and if still needed the parents to help solve the problem for the student.
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Solution #4
I agree with the above responses! I would also have a class conversation and will let the students know that there is a consequence for being outside of the classroom for an excess amount of time. This may deter students from wasting extra time in the restroom. Of course, if a student has an emergency or a medical condition, then there is a degree of flexibility.
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Solution #5
I suggest that you give the student(s) a time limit on how long they have to use the bathroom. Maybe on the bathroom pass (if you have one) put a timer on it and also have the teacher have one. I would also tell the student if they are not back within the certain time they will have to do an extra problem or question in class for each minute they are late. I would also inform the student that if they need any additional time they need to bring in a doctors note. You might also want to contact the parents and notify them of the issue to see if the student needs to be taken to the doctor.
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Solution #6
I would contact administration to help find a male to figure out what is going on in this situation.
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Solution #7
You can use a punch in system. have the student when they need to use the bathroom, have them get a pass from the teacher with a time limit with the time written on the paper and a copy for the teacher and have the student do more work when they come back if they are late. You can also have a set limit of bathroom passes and inform the student that they can use the passes or wait until like a transition time to use the bathroom.
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Solution #8
How old are your students? Try using the buddy system, if they are older students they won't like being treated like they are in elementary school again. If the problem continues have a conference with the student that they are missing important information. Worst case have a male staff member come to escort the student every time they use the restroom. Explain to the student that when they can decide not to goof on in the restroom they will not need an escort.
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Solution #9
I would talk to the student privately. I would ask why the student takes so long. It would also be wise to ask the parents if they are aware of what is happening and if they may know why.
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Solution #10
My niece is in high school and one of her teachers uses a really great system. Each 9 weeks, the students are provided with a card that has 5 boxes on it. These boxes represent the number of bathroom passes they are allowed during the 9 weeks. For each bathroom pass the student uses, the teacher puts a whole punch in one box. Each box is worth 5 points - for each box that is not used at the end of the 9 weeks, the student earns 5 extra credit points. Therefore, if a student does not use any of their bathroom passes, they can earn a total of 25 extra credit points. This method seems to ensure that students are only using the restroom for emergencies and keeps track of how often they actually use the bathroom.
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Solution #11
I would remind him before he leaves that there is a time limit, and that there are other students that have to use the bathroom as well so go as quickly as possible.
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Solution #12
Have class bathroom breaks.
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Solution #13
I would assign a time limit for the bathroom or have the student go with a classmate to make sure they are only using the restroom and coming right back. If they go with a classmate and still take an excessive amount of time I would simply ask the other student what was going on.
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Solution #14
Send him with a partner and time limit every time he goes to the bathroom. If he does not return within that time limit, start taking points off of his work. If the problem persists, I would sit down with administration and come up with another solution.
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Solution #15
I would make sure there is nothing to be aware of about the student in this case (health issues). If not, I would talk to the student about the behavior. If that does not work, I would give the student a set amount of time they are allowed to be out of class (ten minutes top for example). If that does not work, I would then notify the parent and ask for support in correcting the issue.
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Solution #16
Let the students know your expectations at the beginning of the lesson. Lay the ground rules and make sure they know the consequences of misbehaving.
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Solution #17
We have a student that does the same thing; the rule the teacher made is that you must place your phone on her desk and sign out. so then the student isn't wasting any time texting outside of the class and if the student takes any longer than 5 minutes they have earned themselves a lunch detention.
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Solution #18
I would contact someone from administration to check on the child, if the bathroom breaks take longer than 5 minutes. Make sure you speak with the child and see if they have any health concerns, if not tell them they need to be back in the classroom within 5 minutes, if not they will face a consequence.
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Solution #19
I would suggest to contact the student's parents/guardians to make them aware of the situation and handle it from there.
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Solution #20
Providing that it has been determined that their is no documented medical condition that would cause the excessive time spent in the restroom, I would talk to the other teachers that work with the student to see if this is an ongoing problem with in all classes. If it is I would give the student an escort and contact parents to make them aware of the situation. Maybe there is an undiagnosed condition or maybe the student is just trying to get out of work. If it is the later if it is the later talk to your CT about possibly making it a goal on his IEP or on a behavioral contract (assuming the student is ESE).
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Solution #21
The student should be given a fair warning. These trips might be a way for the student to reject engaging in certain activities. The student can be withdrawing for psychological or emotional issues stemming from some type of fear. If the teacher cannot resolve the situation then the parents should be contacted for a more indepth intervention.
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Solution #22
I have had similar experiences with one of my students. The only difference is that he got caught in the bathroom with a girl getting ready to do you know what. He had his bathroom privileges revoked and now, if he has to go, has to have someone go with him. Perhaps the CT needs to stop allowing this student to go to the bathroom during class. This should not be a rule for just this student, but for all students so that he does not feel singled out. Have the students earn dollars or points that they can use to go to the bathroom and if they don't have point, they do not get to go.
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Solution #23
You could try and give a five minute limit on time in the bathroom. Obviously some students may need more time in the bathroom but this should not take 20 minutes unless notarized. Try seeking if he has any medical issues in which he takes longer in the restroom, otherwise check up on him to see if he is simply wasting time.
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Solution #24
A possible solution, is to first talk to the parents. Talking to the parents can help by seeing if the student has any medical conditions that might make him go to the restroom slower than others. If this is not the case, than you can talk to a male staff that might be available to check on him if he does not come back in a reasonable amount of time. A third solution, is to talk to the whole class about bathroom breaks and have a discussion and see how long they might like in order to use the restroom and come back. Talking to the class and seeing what they would like could help greatly.
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Solution #25
We have this same problem within my internship classroom. My teacher, the I.A. and myself are all female also. Our student will use the restroom for entire class periods at a time if we let him. In order to reduce this behavior, he have decided to require him to use the restroom inside of the participatory ESE classroom. Our I.A. will walk him to the restroom and her I.A. will walk him back. This has been very successful in limiting the amount of time that he spends in the bathroom. I would suggest requiring him to use a bathroom located inside of a classroom/office and escourting him there and back for the first couple of times that he uses it. This ensures that he is being supervised at all times, thus limiting the behavior.
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Solution #26
I would allow the student to use the restroom and in about 5 minutes I would walk outside the restroom and through the surrounding hallways, if the student is using this time to goof-off, chances are he will not be doing it silently. You will not have to enter the restroom. If the student is in the restroom, call from outside to check on the student, ask if they are feeling alright, etc. If the student continuously denies feeling sick or having restroom issues, ask the parents about his restroom behaviors at home and communicate his behaviors at school.

I would first find out if the student has any underlying medical issues that could be causing long bathroom breaks. I would start escorting him to bathroom, so he knows you are waiting outside. This should discourage long bathroom breaks if not necessary

Waiting outside of the restroom might be helpful but it could deter from class time, so this might not be the most effective strategy.

I would probably not do this only because then students would lose class time if we are starting to walk the halls. Instead of this we could send a student to the restroom to check on the student.

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Solution #27
I will suggest telling the student that he/she has 3 minutes to go to the bathroom and be back. I will also address the situation with someone else to see suggestions and always recording when is that the student ask to go to the bathroom, during what specific lesson. I will also suggest sending the student to the bathroom and wait for him/her outside in the hall.
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