A School's Sign Told Kids They Could Only Use the Water Fountain Once Per Week, and Um . . .

Staying hydrated throughout the day is important for everyone, especially children who are active and busy at school. That's why when one school decided to severely restrict children's access to drinking water, parents were rightfully outraged.

A sign, posted at a Cincinnati Elementary School, stated that children were to ask permission before taking a drink of water at the hallway fountain, and that they were only allowed one drink a week, otherwise there would be a deduction in their grade. This sign is literally asking students to choose between their health and their education, when the two should support one another.

Sign posted at school stated students got 'one pass per week to get a drink of water' - https://t.co/pKZumeXGfu pic.twitter.com/Q055OkHuKd

— FOX19 (@FOX19) January 31, 2018

"I thought it was not right that they were depriving the children of having water and going to the restroom, and it wasn't fair that they were going to deduct their grades because they wanted to get a drink of water," said one concerned parent.

Since the original sign was posted, Cincinnati Public Schools released a statement saying that the sign was the result of a misunderstanding of school policy, and that it has been removed. Still, the fact that the school thought it was OK to put up in the first place is exceptionally problematic.

Having taught in public schools, I've seen administrations go to great lengths to prevent students from wasting class time by lingering at the bathrooms and drinking fountains, one school even going so far as to lock the bathroom doors and shut off the water fountains, except at lunch time. Although I understand that the pressure is on schools to maintain children's attendance records and to increase test scores, these kind of tactics are misguided.

As a parent, this kind of policy has never sat well with me, and quite frankly makes me incredibly angry. If a school can't trust its kids, why should a kid trust the school and its administrators? We're asking children to listen to and respect the adults around them, and yet their schools don't give them the same courtesy. Children need access to drinking water and restrooms; it's not just what's to be expected, it's a right.