Parents in Utah may soon be required by law to ensure that their children are potty trained before sending them to kindergarten. A new bill introduced by state Rep. Douglas Welton in Utah aims to prohibit parents from enrolling their children in kindergarten if they haven’t completed potty training, per the NY Post.
“You’re asking teachers who already seem to be distrusted a little bit by certain segments of the population and you’re asking them to go and help facilitate a child use the restroom. That’s a big risk that a lot of them don’t want to take and shouldn’t have to take,”
the Republican lawmaker stated. The bill itself would mandate the State Board of Education to create a new rule
“regarding toilet training as a condition for kindergarten enrollment.”
Students who are not potty trained would be temporarily removed from class and referred to a school social worker or counselor for assistance. They would only be allowed to return to the classroom once they have successfully learned to use the bathroom independently. However, there are exceptions in the legislation for students who have a condition documented in their Individualized Education Program that hinders their ability to be
“toilet trained.”
State Rep. Douglas Welton argues that this measure is crucial for the safety of both the children and their teachers. Walton expressed that the need for this law has become more pressing due to the increase in the number of students attending full-day kindergarten following the expansion of classroom access through another bill.
“Across the state of Utah. We’ve got roughly four times the number of kids who are coming to kindergarten that aren’t potty trained,”
Welton said.
On Wednesday, the House Education Committee gave a favorable recommendation to the bill. If it gets the green light, it will go into effect for the 2024-2025 school year.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
