Limiting school bathroom breaks?

As a way to control discipline problems, school officials in Lawrenceville, New Jersey are limiting the number of times kids at Lawrence Middle School can take bathroom breaks from class each month.  Reportedly, under the new policy, the school decided to allow seventh and eighth graders to go to the bathroom only 15 times a month.  The school officials say it’s actually 30 times a month. Well, 15, 30, whatever it is, it‘s a bad move.

One 13-year-old says he‘s worried because he has just four bathroom breaks left for the rest of the month.  Another kid says he‘s been eating and drinking less so that he wouldn‘t use up his passes.  And one parent says her son is holding it in, which doctors say can lead to infections. 

Why don‘t we just focus the attention on what‘s really plaguing our schools, violence, a lack of government funding, dropout rates, test scores that are low? 

In fact, in New Jersey, 28 percent of eighth graders are below basic math levels and 21 percent are below basic reading levels.  But that‘s not something you‘re likely to hear those school officials talk much about.  Maybe their hope is, if enough people focus on how many times kids get to pee, they won‘t notice how poorly they‘re doing in school. 

'Bad move' is a regular segment on 'Deborah Norville Tonight.' Deborah Norville Tonight airs weeknights, 9 p.m. ET

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