Megan: Hello. A colleague is being told that the changing table for her kindergarten-3rd grade students with moderate to severe disabilities, must be kept and used inside her classroom rather than in an actual restroom. I haven’t been able to find any information about the legality of this request. Any information would be helpful.
As a person who was in special ed as a kid and suffered from incontinence…I can tell you our changing table was in the middle of the room. from K-6 at least. And…we DO get upset by this.
It’s to prevent any allegations of abuse by the parents toward the adult changing the diapers. If it’s done out in the open, that protects both the students and the adults in the classroom. It upsets other adults; it doesn’t upset kids.
I wish there was a clear answer to this. I can’t tell you how many times I go into a classroom and see this total nonsense taking place.
This could be a state rule or just a district decision. Your state parent training & information center can assist the parent. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/