Recently, parents of students at a high school in Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, complained that their 15-year-old child was not allowed to use the restroom during evening self-study and was even punished by having to stand. The parents stated that the teacher’s actions have already affected the child’s health. This news made it to the top of Baidu’s hot search on December 9.
Mrs. Liu, a parent of a student in Liaocheng, shared a video about the incident. On December 4, she complained to Huashangbao News that her child, who is 15 years old and studying in the first year of a key high school in Liaocheng, had a cold recently. She had instructed her child to drink more water. However, during the 1 hour and 51 minutes of evening self-study, the child’s homeroom teacher did not allow the child to use the restroom and even made them stand for a class.
Mrs. Liu expressed, “This is close to two hours, not the usual 40 minutes. The teacher does not allow the children to use the restroom, and this has not happened once or twice, it has been ongoing.”
Mrs. Liu stated that because her child held it for too long, the child’s stomach was uncomfortable and they were emotional, not wanting to go to school: “Because the child couldn’t hold it, they dared not drink soup at dinner, usually drinking very little water or soup, and the child couldn’t even have a bowel movement.”
Mrs. Liu said she went to communicate with the homeroom teacher, hoping the teacher would be more considerate: “But the teacher argued, asking why other children didn’t need to go? I explained that maybe each child’s physical condition is different, a child with a large bladder may hold it longer, and I hope the teacher can understand.” However, “The teacher insisted that if a student wants to use the restroom, they need to provide a medical certificate. I was very surprised and asked what kind of certificate is needed to use the restroom? The teacher said that if a student did not attend physical education class, they must have a hospital certificate, even for using the restroom.”
Mrs. Liu expressed her confusion: “Which hospital can issue a certificate for a child going to the restroom for 1 hour and 51 minutes? But the teacher said without a certificate, they cannot go.”
Mrs. Liu also mentioned, “The teacher said this is a school rule, that the school does not allow it, but the school staff said the school does not have such a rule, it was the teacher’s behavior.”
The Education Bureau of Liaocheng City stated to Huashangbao News, “The Education Bureau definitely does not have such a rule.”
Mrs. Liu also revealed, “The school staff kept contacting me and my husband, asking me to delete the video first, saying the school will handle it. On the afternoon of December 3, I already hid the Douyin video. This morning (December 4), I also hid the video account.” And she stated, “I did not demand that the teacher be punished,” “I am not targeting the school, I am only addressing this kind of phenomenon.”
After the news was released, hundreds of netizens commented on it, mostly expressing incomprehension towards the teacher’s actions and suggesting that the teacher should understand the students.
A teacher who works in the field of education stated, “I am also a primary school teacher, and I disagree with this approach. They are already high school students. Going to the restroom is not for playing; it only takes less than two minutes back and forth. Unlike primary school students, who may use going to the restroom as an excuse to play for a while. We do not dare to let the children hold it for a 40-minute class, fearing they might wet themselves.”
A netizen from Xi’an, Shaanxi, named “A Yu Shiyin,” suggested, “One hour and 50 minutes, there should be a 10-minute break added.”