Parenting

School Sends 6-Year Old Home On Bus With No Pants After Bathroom Accident

by Maria Guido

A six-year-old student in Florida was forced to ride the bus home in nothing but soiled underwear and a long shirt after she had an accident during school hours.

Raymond McCurdy told the local news station his daughter got off the bus crying wearing nothing but underwear and a long t-shirt and holding a bag of soiled clothes. McCurdy alleges his daughter raised her hand to use the restroom, but the teacher wouldn’t excuse her until it was too late. “She has medical issues and when she has to go, she has to go,” Raymond McCurdy said.

He admits his child has had accidents in the past, but has always come home fully clothed. He said no one from Bellterre Elementary School in Palm Coast, Florida ever called or asked if he could come pick her up. He alleges he spoke to the assistant principal after the incident, who explained that she thought the shirt was “long enough.”

This is heartbreaking and just a fail on all parts. If you know your child is prone to accidents, you should send them to school with an extra set of clothing folded up in their backpack. It’s not rocket science. And putting a child on a bus with no pants on in addition to not notifying the family when you didn’t have the appropriate wardrobe? Fail. Fail. Fail. And the one who is suffering is that poor little girl.

If an adult says they need to use the bathroom, we always take them seriously – why are we so weird about bathroom privileges with children? This story perfectly illustrates why there always needs to be lines of communication with parents and teachers. If this has happened before, a child’s request to go should always be responded to urgently. There are no details about that, so maybe the teacher did respond and the little girl just didn’t make it. But there is simply no excuse for putting a child on a bus with no pants. That is some next-level negligence.

The Palm Coast, Florida school district says it is aware of the incident and is investigating.