PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Superintendent John Legg says Pasco County Schools will begin communicating more directly with parents that children entering kindergarten must be potty-trained before the start of school, after district leaders reported a growing number of students arriving to class unable to use the restroom independently.
Legg discussed the issue during this week’s school board meeting, saying teachers are becoming overwhelmed by students who require diaper changes or help using the bathroom.
“It is not the kindergarten teachers' responsibility to be changing diapers,” Legg said.
According to Legg, the issue has become more common since the COVID-19 pandemic. He said district leaders were receiving reports at the start of the school year that nearly every elementary school had about 10 students who could not independently use the restroom.
“We understand accidents happen,” Legg said. “But the problem is it can’t be a chronic issue in the classroom where the teacher is expected to accommodate the bathroom needs, and pull-ups and diapers of kindergartners.”
The district now plans to require students to be potty-trained before starting kindergarten. Legg said children who are not potty-trained may be required to stay home until they are ready for school.
District leaders said the policy would not apply to students with developmental disabilities or special needs.
“We have appropriate classrooms for our students who have special needs,” Legg said.
That statement raised concerns among some advocates who worry children could be moved into separate classroom settings for developmental issues unrelated to academics.
Jessica Silber, who runs Elevate Advocate and is the parent of a son with autism, said schools should follow federal and state guidelines requiring districts to consider accommodations before moving students into nontraditional classroom environments.
“So I think that is part of what got myself and other parents and other advocates really upset the other night, because instantly they said we’ll find a different environment,” Silber said. “That to us signals, why are we looking at a different environment when all we need to do is provide additional staffing?”
Pediatrician, Dr. Robin Hauser, said most children should be potty-trained by age 3½ or 4, though medical or developmental conditions can delay the process.
“Constipation can often cause delayed potty training. Certain developmental delays, kids with autism, or speech delays,” Hauser said.
Hauser said regular pediatric checkups are important to ensure children are meeting developmental milestones before starting school.
“If by four you are not potty trained, then certainly a pediatrician should be able to help you figure out why and help you to achieve that milestone by the age of five,” she said.
Legg said the district’s goal is to ensure classrooms remain focused on instruction while still supporting students with documented special needs.
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