A TikToker went viral after blasting her daughter’s teacher for allegedly “charging” her students to use the bathroom.
Content creator Desi Eleazar Hoffman took to TikTok to call out her 11-year-old daughter’s science teacher, “Mrs. Garett,” who supposedly “charges” students to use the bathroom.
Desi said Mrs. Garrett has allegedly implemented a classroom “reward system” that allows students to earn “Garrett dollars,” which they can cash in to borrow supplies, make up for a tardy, or to use the bathroom.
In the viral video with over 1.6 million views, she explains the system, including the fact that students can allegedly earn “Garrett dollars” in various ways, including asking their parents to donate classroom supplies.
“I get it, it’s hard for teachers out here these days,” Desi said. “But there are low-income families who can’t afford this, so I feel like [their kids] have [fewer] opportunities than the kids [whose families] can, and those kids shouldn’t have [fewer] opportunities to use the bathroom.”
The TikToker also said that regardless of how students earn “Garrett dollars,” they “should not have to barter with [their] reward cash for rights to use the restroom.”
She revealed that she sent an email to Mrs. Garrett to let her know know that her daughter will be using the bathroom whenever she wants, whether or not she has any “Garrett dollars.”
TikTok users react to teacher charging students to use the bathroom
Many TikTok users agreed that students shouldn’t have to earn bathroom “privileges,” arguing that schools need to implement better bathroom policies.
“As a teacher I completely agree. Restroom breaks aren’t something to negotiate for,” one user commented.
“This is my 11th year teaching & I never tell a child no to use the bathroom. It is not a privilege to go to the bathroom,” another wrote.
“I have never ever in my life understood this! Going to the restroom isn’t a reward it’s a basic human necessity,” a third user added.
“The way bathroom usage is handled in schools needs to change,” someone else shared.