I am a Kindergarten teacher and have a five year old boy who says he needs to use the restroom very frequently. He has asked to go up to 12 times in a day. Sometimes more than once an hour he says he has to go and he can't wait. Well, I don't want accidents or accusations from parents that I won't allow him to go to the restroom. We goes as a class 3 times a day - once in the morning (8:30), before lunch at 10:20, and after recess at 11:30, and they are allowed to go as needed during snack time wich follows rest at 1:30. They are not allowed to go when I am teaching or giving directions for work or during rest time. (other classes are taking their turn at that time)

He may have a bladder infection. Or, he may be doing it to get out of class. Are teachers today allowed to ask the mother and talk with her about this?

I would talk to the parents about this, see what the child is like at home.

If he goes just as frequently at home then I would say it's time for a doctor visit to rule out anything medical.

A long time ago (when I was 20) I worked at a daycare center. We had one kindergarten kid that frequently used the bathroom. The parents actually approached me about the issue because the school he went to had voiced their concerns. A doctors appointment didn't yield anything, he was in perfect health. The parents talked to him and he didn't say a thing. Finally I decided to have a heart to heart with him.

It took a while for him to open up, but when he finally did he told me his story. Apparently, during pre-school, he had had an accident. The other kids were very cruel about it. They teased him, called him a baby, all the worst things that you can say to a child. After that he started going to the bathroom more often because he wanted to avoid having another accident.

Sadly this seemed to become a habit. He'd actually worry about it so much that he really did feel he needed to go even when he didn't.

I have no way of knowing if this is going on with the child in your class, but a meeting with the parents, ruling out anything medical, and then talking to the child would probably get to the bottom of this.

I hope it all works out.

Good luck.

When is he asking to go? Is it during work time? Read aloud? Centers? Recess? Sometimes kids will "need" to go more often as a means of getting out of doing something else.

Certainly speak to the parents and find out if this is also common at home or if there is a medical concern that they have not made you aware of.

Hi! I'm a K teacher too and actually have had the SAME issue. Notify the parents!! You can get a lot of info with talking with the parents. In my case, the parents see the same at home, have spoken with him and have spoken with the doctor about it (whom said he would probably outgrow this). If the parents are seeing the same thing, allow him to go to the bathroom during times you allow it. (My kids know they cannot use the bathroom in the middle of a lesson, unless it's an extreme emergency and they can't hold it) Keep whatever your class rule is in place for this child. In the case the parents don't see this behavior at home, then you need to speak with them on setting up a bathroom schedule in your class for him (3x a day). This way they are aware of what's going on and why you might be denying him to leave to use the restroom.
Good Luck! :)

It's anybodies 4th Amendment Right.. To Deny a Child from the use of the Bathroom is considered as forms of Child Abuse...