Free The Pee

This web-site was (of course) inspired by a personal experience regarding myself and my children. I have been aware for some time that there is a grave injustice in the public schools when it comes to the basic human right of using the rest room. I can remember as a child, needing to use the rest room and being denied. That horrible, helpless feeling as someone has complete control over your body. The painful, swelling urge that you can barely keep control over. Eyes watering and throat closing as you frantically think about how humiliating it would be if you lost control.

When my daughter was in the first grade, she was hospitalized for a kidney infection. She reported to me that she was not allowed to use the restroom at school during class time and was afraid to ask. After this time, I told her that if she was denied access to the restroom, she was to leave the classroom and go anyway. She is now 13 years old and in the 8th grade. This year she has been denied access to the restroom once again . Being a 13 year old girl further contributes to the complications and possible humiliation of menstrual flow soaking the clothes and being visible to classmates. She has been denied a couple of times but the most recent time, she was ill and left against the teachers orders and threw up. When she returned to the classroom and told the teacher that she was sick, she was given detention because she left the room and she was told that there was a trash can in the room that she could have vomited in. I'm enraged at the lack of empathy in this school! It has also come to my attention that if children in my 2nd grader's classroom need to use the restroom during class, they 'surrender' 10 minutes of their recess time. They are punished for peeing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was beside myself.

Thus has begun the crusade to FREE THE PEE! Adults in every situation from employment protection by OSHA to protection of inmates, are protected from this inhumane treatment. Amnesty International considers the forced retention of waste products a form of torture. How can we allow something that is considered torture to prisoners to be used on our children?

This is the very beginning of what I hope to be a successful campaign to raise public awareness of this issue. I am currently investigating the appropriate steps to advocating changing legislation. I need your help. Together, we can make a difference. If we do not stand up for our children, then who will?