The mother of a fourth-grader complained to the prosecutor's office about the teacher who did not let the child go to the toilet
“This is physical violence and torture”
A childish scandal is raging at primary school No. 3 in the city of Odintsovo. When asked to leave, the fourth grade teacher replied: “You can’t.” As a result, the child allegedly became embarrassed right in the classroom... On the same day, the student’s mother recorded a video conversation with the teacher. In it, she argued that being denied access to the toilet amounted to physical violence and torture. And the teacher reported that Egor’s (the minor’s name has been changed) trips to the toilet for 5-10 minutes were entered into the system. Who is right?
Gulnara M. has been teaching at Odintsovo school quite recently. The fourth grade where the bathroom incident happened was her first year graduating. But the parents are satisfied with the teacher: he will always help, answer questions at any time of the day, and support the child. She is soft, well-mannered, and does not raise her voice at children, they told MK at school. But a different opinion has developed about Yegor’s mother.
“She is constantly dissatisfied with everything that happens around her child. And it started in kindergarten. She constantly had complaints about her teachers. I know this because my child is in the same class with her son, and before they were in the same group. The situation was the same there. The teachers were always to blame, although Yegor cannot be called a good boy,” a mother from Odintsovo told MK.
Our interlocutor knows about the incident of being denied access to the toilet from the words of a child who was also present in the class that day. He said that during the penultimate lesson, Yegor raised his hand and asked to go to the toilet. The teacher told him: “Write down your homework and go,” but the student didn’t write anything down, took his backpack and left the class. Absolutely dry, as the children claim.
- None of the children confirmed that Yegor wet himself. And after the scandal that his mother raised, the head teacher of the primary school and the principal examined the chair on which the boy was sitting and did not find any traces of moisture,” the mother of Yegor’s classmate continued her story.
The class teacher also doesn’t believe that the student really wanted to go to the toilet. Too often he asks for time off. Either he talks on the phone, or he may even leave the lesson altogether. “And this same mother will later come and complain that her son left the class,” our interlocutor said.
The conflict involving Yegor is far from the first, according to the woman. Even earlier, he pushed a classmate, so much so that his arm was broken. And even after the injury, the mother did not apologize, but began to claim that her son was not to blame for anything. I had to go to court.
“We decided to hang a camera in the classroom,” the parent recalls. - But Yegor’s mother spoke out against it. And to install video surveillance you need one hundred percent consent. This idea was abandoned, but in vain. Now there would be no need to speculate.
Immediately after the conflict, Yegor’s mother wrote a complaint to the prosecutor’s office. While the proceedings are ongoing, the Commissioner for Children's Affairs in the Moscow Region, Ksenia Mishonova, spoke about the situation. She emphasized that teachers should pay special attention to the physiological needs of children, especially younger schoolchildren. Forbidding a child to go to the toilet is a form of psychological pressure and humiliation. The teacher is responsible for the health of children during classes, so they cannot be refused due to unfounded fears, the ombudsman believes.
As for the opinion of the pedagogical community, at the request of “MK” it was voiced by the Honored Teacher of Russia, a teacher with 35 years of experience, Alexander Snegurov.
— I have not heard of any regulations regarding children’s access to the toilet. I am sure that such a clause, at the request of parents, can be written into the school charter, but I don’t know about directives. As for the opinion of teachers about absences, it is definitely negative. It is so difficult to create a working atmosphere in the classroom. And the questions “can I go out?” it is, of course, destroyed. Especially in elementary school. A chain reaction may begin in children. If one person asks for time off, then the next one repeats it after him. Sometimes up to four people come out. Then I stop the lesson and wait for the children to return. I'm annoyed, of course. It is extremely inconvenient for the teacher to stop. And yet I let go. Even if I know that the student is lying. As for the behavior of the student’s mother, of course, she should not have immediately written statements and complaints. We need to understand the situation. The pedagogical process is a joint work of both teachers and parents. It is very important to find mutual understanding here.
Newspaper headline:
The toilet question spoiled them
