Is it normal/sanitary for my child's school NOT to provide paper towels or soap in the bathroom?

Question

My daughter is in the second grade. The school does NOT provide soap in the bathroom, rather the teacher is expected to purchase hand soap and dispense it out to the students. The bathrooms also do not have paper towels -- they've got those hand dryers, which means there's a TON of water all over the floor.

I know because my daughter talks about how much "fun" it is to slide all around the bathroom in all the water people shake from their hands.

Answer 1

In my school (junior and high school) we had no soap, although we had dispensers that looked like they hadn't been used in about 30 years. We rarely had paper towels, and when we did the dispenser usually didn't work. When we complained, they would threaten to start using the brown paper towels in place of toilet paper. Best years of your life, eh?

Answer 2

I agree that the hand dryer is not a problem.  The children should be taught....explicitly... how to wash and dry their hands.  If they shake most of the water off in the sink, then there wouldn't be much left to make its way onto the floor.  If water on the floor is a problem then that should be dealt with as a separate issue.  I like the suggestion of the anti-slip mat.  

It sounds like the children are in fact being provided with soap by the teachers, so I do not really understand the problem.  Granted this is not the norm, but if the teachers don't mind providing it then so be it.  (I think the reasoning for not keeping the soap in the bathroom is that the kids play with it, and it ends up on the floor, walls, mirrors, and everywhere it doesn't belong.)  I am not convinced the schools solution is the best, but if the kids are getting what they need then I really wouldn't worry about it.

Answer 3

someone should notify the health board!alot of places have hand dryers , but no soap how sick.the janitors need to do there jobs and the schools gonna have a big problem if one of those kids gets seriously hurt.

Answer 4

i would have a HUGE problem with this. i would definately talk to others moms and dads and see if you guys could get together and write or go to the school about this and tell them why they should have soap and paper towels. i understand KIND OF why they wouldnt have paper towels (because some kids throw them everywhere instead of the trashcan) but i cannot for the life of me understand why they dont have soap. teachers shouldnt have to buy soap, it's the school's job to provide everything except things teachers buy for their own classrooms. the teachers arent expected to bring their own milk and food for the students, so why should they have to buy soap too?

Answer 5

This is NOT normal nor sanitary! What kid of school system is this? That is something that would drive me to the board of Ed. with a HUGE list of other parent signatures in hand...

Answer 6

That is not normal or sanitary. All of the schools I have attended or visited had hand soap and paper towels. Kids will just play around with those hand dryers, kids need towels to make sure their hands are dry.

And since your daughter is sliding in the water the kids create, it is time to have a talk with that schools principal, because that water will cause a fall to occur and the school will have to pay for that accident.

Answer 7

That is not normal at all or sanitiary. All schools should be expected to provide paper towels and soap. Also, it's not safe for little children to be sliding around like that. She is only in grade 2, and that could be unsafe.

I suggest you talk to her teacher or the staff because that is something unsanitary. Children should have clean hand because that reduces the chance if them gettting sick.

Good luck!

*hugs*

Answer 8

You must live in a small town or a rural setting!!

My daughter attends the same school as I did as a child. She is in first grade, and nothing has changed in the school except the soap dispensers. When I was little, we used bar soap and brown paper towels, and those towels did get EVERYWHERE including the toilet. I would tend to say that paper towels are much more unsanitary than the hand dryers. Sure there gets to be a little bit of water on the floor it, but nothing unbearable. I'm sure its not like half a gallon or anything like that. The school I attended here in 4th-6th grade has always only used hand dryers & while there are soap dispensers, they were rarely filled. So what? We washed with warm water, dried a little and ran back out. Most kids DO NOT soap up and wash for 20-30 seconds anyway! If you're that concerned, why not stop by the school sometime during the regular school hours and check it out for yourself?

The comment about the school NOT providing soap sounds more like a story than a reality. If you have consistently witnessed it first hand, then I would talk to the principal. Until then, put a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your daughter's back pack.

Answer 9

That is just nasty.  What good does it do to wash your hands if you have no soap??  They may as well not even have sinks!  Maybe you should go to a school board meeting and bring this up, because it is very unsanitary and can cause a lot of health problems in the school.

Answer 10

thats nasty and u should take it up with the school

Answer 11

It is appropriate for a school to have a hand dryer instead of paper towels.  Kids are terrible about shoving them down the toilet and plugging the plumbing, often on purpose.  It is also the "greener" way to go.  I would be suprised to see paper towels in a school restroom.

As for the soap though, that goes against everything we know about basic sanitation.  Soap isn't so expensive that they can't provide it in the bathrooms.  I don't even understand how the teachers could be responsible for dolling out soap.  Are they in the bathroom every time a kid has to go?

I would talk to someone with your school district about the sopa and about the water that is all over the floor and the kids playing in it.  They should be able to provide a non-slip mat or something under the hand dryers and soap!!

If that doesn't get you anywhere, file a complaint with the county heath department.

Answer 12

That is absolutely ridiculous. The school is required to provide basic hygienic products such as soap for the safety of the kids.  Unfortuately, the hand dryers are more sanitary and eco-friendly than paper towels. The teachers do, however, need to keep an eye on the children to insure that they are not doing dangerous things in the bathroom.

Answer 13

you should have a talk with them

Answer 14

My school has soap, but they don't have paper towels. I really hate the hand dryers because they don't clean your hands and, like you said the get the floor all wet. Why don't you try talking to the principal or bringing it up at the next PTA meeting?

These things need to change!

Good Luck! =D

Answer 15

I can see not having paper towels if they have a dryer, but soap..no. They should supply it. I would have a talk with the teacher, maybe drop in and visit your daughter while in class.

Answer 16

I would complain about this situation.  Having water on the floor is unsafe, because if the children play in it, they could slide, fall, and hit their heads on the sinks or the hard floor.  Having no soap is just ridiculous!    The single most important factor in preventing the spread of disease is frequent hand-washing with soap and hot water.   The school has got to be in violation of some kind of code, with the way they maintain their bathrooms!

Answer 17

they should hae soap and paper towels!!