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LAWRENCE, N.J. (AP) -- When you gotta go, you gotta go. But you can't always, at least not here. Some middle school students are avoiding soft drinks, water and other liquids during school hours for fear of an urgent need to answer nature's call. Under a new policy at the Lawrence Middle School, seventh- and eighth-graders are allowed to leave class for the bathroom a maximum of 15 times a month. As a result, some are afraid to use up their bathroom passes too quickly and end up with a full bladder and nowhere to go. The pass system went into effect last month as a way to monitor the school restrooms and stop students from skipping class. It is the latest in a series of disciplinary measures school administrators have taken in response to behavioral problems that have included bomb threats. School officials defend the policy as a way to ensure safety, security and order. But some parents say the system goes too far. The right to go to the bathroom, they say, is a health and civil rights issue and as taxpayers, they think it is a freedom they pay for. 'When my son Matthew used all his passes, he was then told he couldn't go to the bathroom,' parent Susan Gregory told The Times of Trenton. 'We called the school and were told the bathroom is a privilege, not a right. Then we were told if a child has to go to the bathroom more than three times a day, we need (to bring them) a doctor's note. 'This is utterly ridiculous. Now my son doesn't want to go to the bathroom at school,' she said. 'He says he won't drink or he'll hold it until he gets home. This can't be healthy.' Urologists say the practice can lead to infections and incontinence. 'Common sense tells you the policy doesn't make any sense,' said Dr. Christopher S. Cooper, an associate professor of urology at the University of Iowa who specializes in pediatric urology. 'When children need to go, they should be allowed to go. It isn't good to hold it in or drink less fluids. It could have long-t
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