bathroom accidents

Specialties School

Published

What do y'all do at your schools for students with bathroom accidents? I have a student who very frequently soils his pants and his parents usually take a while to get here to change him. He has trouble cleaning up himself so he has to have someone come help him.

I have the principal, counselors and my nursing supervisor involved and have encouraged parents to have him seen by a doctor numerous times.

The part that I am frustrated with is that he is always sent here to wait in the clinic.

Sometimes it can be over an hour before his mom arrives to change him. There have been many days where I have him in here while I am trying to eat lunch. He is a very active kid and its hard to keep an eye on him when I have many other students coming in for actual medical needs.

My supervisor has told me that he can go back to class and wait; he doesn't need to be missing class time. She said if it is too messy, he can wait in the office. She said there is no reason for a healthy kid to be waiting in the clinic where we have students with flu, strep and stomach virus symptoms. I have her support but it doesn't go over well with his teacher; she gets upset that I send him back to the classroom. I understand her frustration as well, I just wish the parents would step up.

I end up being the one cleaning up after them when they make a mess of my bathroom and I have just had enough.

Any advice?

I'll ask again. How old/what grade is the student?

I'm sorry, he is 6..in kinder

0 Votes
I'm sorry, he is 6..in kinder

I don't send them back if its poop. If they can't really clean themselves properly enough then Mom can either come and finish the job or take them home for a bath if it's a major mess. Otherwise i have them clean up as best they can and they wait in the clinic. Don't want possibly contaminate the other kids or chairs, if you get my drift. I do not clean nooks and crannies either! Yup, the clinic seems to be the place for all things happenin'. Office staff gets very touchy about kids waiting there. Poopy equals medical equals nurse equals I'm not touching it with a 10 foot pole to our administrators. 😷

0 Votes

I need to quit jumping forums. I thought I was looking at a nursing student post for the first little bit.

0 Votes

The poor kid. Glad he's not 11, was hoping you would say 3.

Something is not right. Try to talk to parents about this. If they are resistant? Meeting time! You, parents, Admin. and SW.

0 Votes

Yeah, I think I'll just have to let him keep staying in the clinic. The problem is, he seems to think it's a treat and he enjoys being in the clinic. He usually has accidents almost the same time everyday. He's not embarrassed at all.

It just gets frustrating to deal with several times a week.

The classrooms have bathrooms as well, I just feel like if parents provided wipes and clothing he could essentially clean up in the classroom bathroom and if it's too messy, mom could be called to help him. He seems to think coming to the clinic everyday is a treat.

0 Votes
Specializes in ED, psych.

You say you have the principal and counselors involved. What are they doing, exactly?

Has this been going on all year, or is this a recent development?

If this has been going on all year, enough is enough. This student must miss so much instructional time. His parents aren't stepping up; it doesn't sound like administration is either. It's time for a team approach; it's meeting time.

Thus, as your supervisor is supportive, the child really should be waiting in the office. For reasons you stated, your clinic isn't an appropriate setting (healthy kid with sick children, can monopolize your time spent with children who are actually sick), nor is the classroom setting. As the child may be sitting in soiled clothes (for over an hour?), this may expedite administration's actions.

Edited to add: just saw your post - he sees this as a treat. Unfortunately, you may be inadvertently positively reinforcing his inappropriate behavior. Fortunately, that can be easily fixed -- by taking you out of the equation.

0 Votes
Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
Yeah, I think I'll just have to let him keep staying in the clinic. The problem is, he seems to think it's a treat and he enjoys being in the clinic. He usually has accidents almost the same time everyday. He's not embarrassed at all.

It just gets frustrating to deal with several times a week.

The classrooms have bathrooms as well, I just feel like if parents provided wipes and clothing he could essentially clean up in the classroom bathroom and if it's too messy, mom could be called to help him. He seems to think coming to the clinic everyday is a treat.

I think you're on track, unless he has some developmental delay he needs to take ownership of this. Try to continue to convey that to the parent to supply the clothes, etc, and push for him to take care of the changing, cleaning, sacking the soiled clothes, putting the soiled clothes in his backpack to take home for replacement, the works. But it's not your responsibility to potty train him, that's still the parent's job. Good luck.

0 Votes
Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

Does he have an IEP? Can he be assigned classroom aide or a personal aide, whatever it might be called in your district? Someone who is assigned to toilet and clean him? Maybe w/a one to one assistant, they can pick up cues on when he needs to go before he goes? Just a thought.

0 Votes
You say you have the principal and counselors involved. What are they doing, exactly?

Has this been going on all year, or is this a recent development?

If this has been going on all year, enough is enough. This student must miss so much instructional time. His parents aren't stepping up; it doesn't sound like administration is either. It's time for a team approach; it's meeting time.

Thus, as your supervisor is supportive, the child really should be waiting in the office. For reasons you stated, your clinic isn't an appropriate setting (healthy kid with sick children, can monopolize your time spent with children who are actually sick), nor is the classroom setting. As the child may be sitting in soiled clothes (for over an hour?), this may expedite administration's actions.

Edited to add: just saw your post - he sees this as a treat. Unfortunately, you may be inadvertently positively reinforcing his inappropriate behavior. Fortunately, that can be easily fixed -- by taking you out of the equation.

It's been going on all year and yes he is missing a lot of class time. We've had meetings with his mom and are scheduled to have another one. Our nursing coordinator has even reached out to the family to

see if she can help. The counselor meets with him regularly and he also has a mentor at school.

I believe you are absolutely right about inadvertently reinforcing the behavior too.

0 Votes
Yeah, I think I'll just have to let him keep staying in the clinic. The problem is, he seems to think it's a treat and he enjoys being in the clinic. He usually has accidents almost the same time everyday. He's not embarrassed at all.

It just gets frustrating to deal with several times a week.

The classrooms have bathrooms as well, I just feel like if parents provided wipes and clothing he could essentially clean up in the classroom bathroom and if it's too messy, mom could be called to help him. He seems to think coming to the clinic everyday is a treat.

Yes, I've had a few situations where it was a treat. We eventually instituted a reward system (No accidents that day rewarded a sticker, pencil, etc). Also make it very, very boring to sit there and wait meaning no books, no coloring etc. No chatting with friends. Keep "work" there to do. I found the fun quickly ran out of being in the clinic when I did those things. Missing fun things in class also helped. All this, of course, is after anything medical had been ruled out.

😎

0 Votes

I have a 2nd grader with encopresis who poops his pants almost every day. It's ridiculous.

BUT, he has been cleaning himself up since Kindy, with some supervision. I give him a plastic bag to hang on the doorknob, and wipes. The wipes go in the bag along with the pull up. If he is wearing unders, those go in a separate bag for mom to wash. Anything left behind with poop (wipes, pull up etc,) goes into a covered diaper pail in the BR.

I keep extra underwear and pants here.

I have to make sure he washes his hands appropriately.

He can do it. He has some delays, but can manage.

0 Votes
Specializes in School Nurse.

I feel the pain. I agree with making his time with you boring. I have a desk facing the wall and reprimand/redirect often, but ignore silly questions/comments/attempts at conversation. Make an "Expected Behavior in the Nurse's Office" agreement which he & mom will sign. I have shared this suggestion before when my son would not go to BR to poop (way before he started school). I got a small old fashioned, wooden clothes scrubber. When my son did not make it to the BR I had him wash his own undies. Two episode and his accidents were over. Sometimes this is not medical, but reinforced behavior - he gets attention (positive & negative - sometimes it does not matter which for a small child). Sometimes the child just does not care, or wants to get out of class. Good luck.

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment