Philadelphia Schools Approve Student Bathroom Access & Recess Policy

After a two-year campaign, Lift Every Voice Philly is celebrating a landmark victory: the School District of Philadelphia has adopted its first comprehensive student wellness policy, guaranteeing recess, bathroom access, and water breaks for more than 115,000 public school students.

The school board approved the policy Feb. 27, following 18 months of organizing by Lift Every Voice Philly, a Black-led, multiracial parent coalition. The policy prohibits withholding bathroom access, water breaks, and recess as punishment, ends silent lunches, bans collective punishment, and requires elementary school students to receive movement breaks every 90 minutes of seated instruction.

The policy comes after parents described distressing incidents in which students were denied basic needs during the school day, including cases where children wore diapers to school out of fear of being denied bathroom access.

Carrera Wilson, a founding member of Lift Every Voice Philly, said the policy's impact will extend beyond the classroom.

"Their kids are going to have a better experience in school, which will create joy, and then they'll bring that home," Wilson said. "We just want the parents to be happy, want the children to be happy, and eventually this needs to spread to all the students in the School District of Philadelphia."

Advocate Julie Krug, who distributed flyers to inform parents about the new policy's protections, said the changes reflect something more fundamental.

"These felt like basic human rights, honestly," Krug said. "We want school to be a better experience for kids, and we know that they learn better when they're happy to be at school."

The group's advocacy work is not finished. Lift Every Voice Philly will host its second general membership meeting on March 17 at 5:30 p.m. at 3675 Market St. in Philadelphia. All parents of Philadelphia public school students are welcome to attend.

"We have some new things coming," Wilson said. "We're going to continue to fight for our children and make sure that everybody, all children in the Philadelphia School District, have joy."