A Conroe Independent School District first grade teacher faces allegations of denying her students restroom access for hours as punishment after a restroom pass went missing around lunchtime last Wednesday.
Ashley Barrera, a first-grade teacher at Bartlett Elementary School, notified parents around 3 p.m. that she had revoked bathroom privileges for the entire class.
Trinity County Media obtained a screenshot of the text from Barrera explaining that a missing restroom badge led to her denying bathroom access for the afternoon. Students soiled themselves when they could no longer hold their bladders.
The text read:
Hello parents. I want to inform you about an incident that happened today. Today my class lost their privilege to use the restroom during class, because they lost their restroom badge while being in the hallway. Unfortunately, we had some friends who needed to use the restroom and ended up peeing on themselves. I do want to apologize for that incident. I had [a] talk with the students about how important it is to use our thing appropriately, but please have a talk with them about that as well. For I know that if we both help them understand the rules, they will understand it better. Again, I apologize for those who had an accident, please know that they will have new badges tomorrow. Thank you. Feel free to call me if you have anything to discuss.
The pass was reportedly lost around lunchtime, and Barrera reportedly denied bathroom access from noon until the end of the school day.
Amber Johnson, a concerned parent of a student in the class, shared her daughter’s account with KPRC in Houston.
According to her daughter, several classmates repeatedly asked—possibly up to ten times—to use the restroom but were denied. Johnson later learned from other parents that at least six students were humiliated after being forced to relieve themselves in the classroom. She said, “So initially, we were told two, after we as parents got into a group and started talking more, it has come down to be there’s about six who actually soiled themselves and had accidents.”
Another parent, Ashley Chancey, said her son, who was in the classroom, came home upset and mentioned that the classmate sitting next to him was unable to hold it.
She also told KPRC the story she received, saying, “He kept trying to tell me that something pretty bad happened at school today. I kept telling him ‘Please calm down and just talk to me.’ He said the class erupted in laughter as kids that are seven [years old] do. And the little girl was just absolutely mortified. He said there was urine all over the little girl. There was a puddle of urine under the chair that nobody came to help with, and nobody came to clean her up for the remainder of the day.”
On Friday, Conroe ISD sent out a statement to parents regarding the investigation into the teacher and the subsequent actions taken.
“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,” the statement read. “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.”
