CONROE, Texas — A Conroe Independent School District teacher is no longer employed after an investigation into a punishment on first graders. That's according to the Conroe ISD.
Parents of students at Bartlett Elementary were appalled after learning multiple students peed on themselves when the teacher revoked their restroom privileges.
The district said the incident allegedly occurred during the school day on Wednesday. That's when parents told KHOU 11 they received a message from the first-grade teacher.
In the message shared by parents with KHOU 11, the teacher said the students lost their privilege to use the restroom during class because they lost their “restroom badge” while they were in the hallway. The message went on to say that some students ended up peeing on themselves in class. The teacher apologized to the parents.
"It's just appalling, it's very appalling, it's sad," parent Amber Johnson said when we originally reported on this story on Thursday. "The amount of infections and health things that can come from a child holding their urine that long is unacceptable."
Johnson said her daughter told her the incident caused emotional distress for the students involved.
"She was telling me that her friends were crying and pleading to go to the restroom," Johnson said.
A mother of one of the students who urinated themselves also spoke with KHOU 11 but did not want to be identified.
"She was pretty upset, she had to walk around in soaking clothes and soaking shoes," the mother said. "It's very frustrating, it's very frustrating."
The mother said her frustration grew after she had a conversation with the school principal who said there was also a teacher's aid in the classroom as well.
"They're an adult, you know, common sense would be, 'OK, well, she's not letting them go to the bathroom, there's multiple students saying that they need to go to the restroom, that's a human right, period,'" the mother told KHOU 11. "It doesn't matter if someone was playing in the restroom, lost a pass or whatever."
CISD issued this statement on Friday:
"Bartlett Elementary and District administrators were made aware of a situation after school dismissed on Wednesday in which a first grade teacher at the school denied students access to the restroom as a punishment. We have conducted a comprehensive investigation, and the teacher is no longer employed by Conroe ISD. This incident is not a reflection of the thousands of exceptional educators teaching in classrooms across the District. We are committed to supporting the students and families impacted by this upsetting event and are dedicated to fostering a culture of mutual respect and care among all students, families, and staff."