Something Stinks in DayCare Land

We'd been talking it up to the kid for months. In September, Lucas would be joining his best friend, whom we'll refer to as "J", at J's preschool. Lucas was excited - J was the first friend he made when they were both at Lucas' current school, and they are inseparable. We were also excited, as we had heard nothing but good things about the new school (for reasons that will become apparent, I will not divulge the name of said school...ok, here's a hint: the Village People wrote a song about it. No, we're not sending our three-year-old to Annapolis). There were a couple of minor concerns: we'd have to pack lunches for the kid, and Lucas would have to be completely potty-trained. The first was more of a concern, as Lucas these days refuses to eat anything other than...well, pretty much anything that doesn't list rainbow sprinkles and/or chocolate chips as a primary ingredient. The second we've nailed, with one slight exception: the kid can't wipe his own butt. That duty still falls to us. This was a full-on worry, as apparently the new school has but one rule regarding the teachers' role in helping kids with their bodily functions. They don't. We weren't sure how strictly they interpreted this - no diapers, but was there some gray area in case of the occasional accident? Or lack of butt-wiping ability?

Well, apparently not. A couple of days ago, Beth had a conversation with J's mom, who was beside herself over an incident at the school. J had come down with a nasty case of diarrhea, and while at the school had an accident. The school called J's mom and let her know, and asked her to come and get him. When she arrived at the school some 45 minutes later, she found J sitting in a chair. On a towel. Literally in a puddle of his own shit. The teachers hadn't bothered to clean him up, because that would have been "against policy". So they put him in a chair and left him there.

Needless to say, we're not sending Lucas there; I was furious when I heard this. (J is very dear to us; I really wanted to go down to the school and loudly announce "I'm here to kick some ass and chew some bubble gum...and I'm all out of bubble gum.") Last time I checked, the whole point of day "care" was to actually "care" for the kids. Yes, I can understand the rationale behind requiring kids to be potty-trained before they can enter a particular school or even grade, but this goes beyond that - it's a matter of decency, of not subjecting a child to discomfort or even humiliation.

So what do you think? Anyone out there have a similar tale?