A 14-year-old girl was left distressed after her teacher refused to let her use the toilet while she was 'actively bleeding through her tampon', prompting her mother to seek advice online.
The girl, described as a model student, emailed her mum during the school day to explain what had happened. She told the teacher she had her period and urgently needed the bathroom, but was refused. She then explained she was bleeding through her tampon and did not want to get her light grey trousers dirty for the rest of the day, but the teacher again said no.
Despite the refusal, the teenager went to the bathroom anyway and returned to class within five minutes, in line with the usual bathroom rules. However, the teacher was furious that she had disobeyed and took her into the hallway to speak to her.
Disciplinary referral threat
The mother told the social news site Reddit that the teacher said she did not believe the girl and that she would receive a disciplinary referral. The teacher recommended that the daughter have her mum email to verify she was on her period.
“My daughter is freaking out because disciplinary referrals are usually used for students using AI or getting caught with their phone too many times,” the mum added.
Seeking advice, the mum admitted her anger was getting the better of her: “I’m trying really hard not to rage out at this teacher right now. Every email I’ve started isn’t great.” She decided to call the assistant principal to ask what her daughter should have done and planned to reserve her words until she heard back.
Social media reaction
While most users slammed the teacher, others pointed out that the teacher may have caused more disruption by leaving the class unsupervised while scolding the girl in the hallway.
One user said: “She did exactly the right thing - the general rule of thumb is that if you have to go and it’s an emergency, you ignore the teacher and take care of yourself first, 'repercussions' last. What did the teacher expect? For your daughter to flash her bloody pad at her for proof?”
Another user added: “Yeah, I’m a guy. This s**t is ridiculous but not surprising. Teachers love power trips.” They went on to describe a similar experience where a teacher ignored their raised hand during a movie, leading them to go anyway and be scolded afterwards.
Teacher apologises
In an update, the mum shared that she had spoken to the vice principal, and the teacher was made to apologise to her daughter for her actions. However, she fears the incident could affect the dynamic between her daughter and the teacher in the classroom in the future.
