Parents say some Philly students wear diapers because they don’t get bathroom breaks. They’re pushing for change.

The ask is so basic it seems almost ridiculous: Philadelphia kids should have guaranteed access to bathrooms and drinking water during the school day.

But despite months of talks, a City Council hearing, and a year-plus of public advocacy from a group of parents, there’s still no codified promise from the Philadelphia School District. The clock is ticking: The school board is scheduled to vote on a wellness policy Thursday night.

“It’s a very reasonable and important standard for children to have basic forms of dignity in schools,” said Sarah Burgess, a parent of a child at Lea Elementary.

After speaking with hundreds of families, Lift Every Voice Philly, a parent organizing group, birthed the “Joy Campaign” — a push for an end to what the group says are dehumanizing policies. The group wants to stop silent lunches, limited bathroom access, and having kids’ “basic needs treated as privileges that can be taken away.”

» READ MORE: These parents want a ‘chief of joy’ for Philly schools. Here’s why.

After back-and-forth with the district, Lift Every Voice did win an end to collective punishment — penalizing some students for others’ poor behavior. It got an end to silent lunches, where children are not permitted to speak. And it got a guarantee of recess for all K-8 students — which had not previously been guaranteed and did not always happen in every school.

But the campaign isn’t a win until bathroom and water access are guaranteed, parents said.

At a special board meeting this month, Tony B. Watlington Sr. said that “bathroom breaks, recess, food, snacks, and water access — consistent across the district — is an absolute right that the superintendent and the board protects.”

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But that statement contrasts with the policy the board is set to adopt on Thursday. It says that “drinking water shall be available and accessible to students, without restriction and at no cost to the student, at all meal periods and throughout the school day. Drinking water and bathroom breaks access shall not be taken away from students as part of disciplinary action.”

Lift Every Voice wants the policy more spelled out: dedicated periods for water and bathroom breaks, and that language posted at every school, to avoid gaps between policy and reality.

It may seem a small distinction, but not having those guarantees matters, said Siani Bolling, a parent of a child at Bryant Elementary in West Philadelphia.

Now, whether a child may use the bathroom is “basically left to the discretion of the teacher or the school. In my son’s experience, if his teacher is having a hard time in the classroom, if she’s frustrated, my son is not going to go to the bathroom because she feels as if the answer to everything is just no, no, no,” said Bolling. “That’s unacceptable.”

LaTi Spence, the mom of children who attend Houston Elementary in West Mount Airy, said after a long fight for a policy change that she was “extremely emotional” when she saw the proposed policy. Lift Every Voice is a diverse, Black-led coalition of parents from around the city, and it failed to get guarantees. What does that mean for families who have been fighting individually, she asked.

“It’s frankly appalling to see the district value things the way they are valuing them, deciding what we can and cannot have,” said Spence. “We understand what happens when policy isn’t made. Kids are going to school in Depends — kids who are 10, 11, 12 years old are urinating on themselves.”

The Lift Every Voice parents get it: Philadelphia schools are underresourced and typically short on staff.

But they say decades of inadequate funding in Philadelphia schools have led to situations where student needs are not emphasized.

The pushback against water and bathroom breaks is typically arguments about scheduling or labor issues, Lift Every Voice parents said.

But some schools have managed to figure out guarantees for bathroom and water breaks — and they’re not just the Mastermans and Penn Alexanders.

At Bayard Taylor Elementary in North Philadelphia, a school where nearly every student comes from an economically disadvantaged household and many do not speak English at home, bathroom and water breaks are rostered into the day. Taylor also has three recesses.

Making these fixes won’t cost the district funds or burden teachers, and they will help improve student experience — something that’s badly needed, parents say.

According to the district’s own survey data, just 31% of students say they enjoy being at school, 36% feel like they belong, and 45% feel welcome.

Bolland’s son is “usually not very excited to go to school,” she said. “He usually comes home and says he’s hungry or he lost recess.”

To Spence, it’s all about finding “little ways in which we can improve joy for our kids. Having control over your bodily functions is one way that creates joy for our kids.”

The parents also object to a change in the policy that removes a guarantee of 25 minutes of seated lunchtime. And they want a guarantee of 30 minutes of recess time, not the 20 that’s promised now.

Eleven City Council members signed onto the parents’ campaign, which includes a call for a “Chief of Joy” at the district level.

“Research is clear: when students feel safe, seen, and engaged, their math and reading scores rise,” the 11 Council members wrote in a May 29 letter to Watlington, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, and school board president Reginald Streater. The list includes Council President Kenyatta Johnson and Councilmembers Isaiah Thomas, Kendra Brooks, Nicolas O’Rourke, Mark Squilla, Rue Landau, Jamie Gauthier, Mike Driscoll, Curtis Jones Jr., Nina Ahmad, and Jimmy Harrity.

“Schools that center play, connection, and joy see stronger academic outcomes, lower suspension rates, and higher attendance,” the Council members wrote.