Naughty Boys

I subbed for a Spanish teacher last Tuesday. She teaches mostly 7th graders, and a few 8th graders (those who failed Spanish last year). She was going on a field trip, and a lot of her students were going too. I had some classes with 3 - 5 students, and other classes that were almost full. She left me exceedingly complete notes. For one period, in which my only students would be 3 8th graders (2 boys, 1 girl), she told me to not let either of the boys go to the bathroom or their lockers. I have had one of the boys a few other times, so I knew what to expect.

Well my day was going very well until the class with the two boys. About 10 minutes in, boy #1 asks to go to the bathroom. I tell him no. He tells me its an emergency. I get worried that it really is an emergency - so I tell him he can go, but has to be back in 3 minutes. As is the teacher's policy, I make him sign out with the time and destination. About 8 minutes later he finally returns. I am annoyed, and I include it in my note. While boy #1 is at the bathroom, boy #2 comes up and tells me that he has a pass to go help with lunch for 5 minutes. He shows me a line in his planner with an ambiguous teacher's "signature." I ask him which teacher wrote the pass, so that I might verify it. He tells me he doesn't know the teacher. Obviously, I do not let him go. Then, about 15 minutes after boy #1 returns from his bathroom expedition, boy #2 asks to go to the bathroom. Again I say no. We then enter a 5 minute conversation about he is not allowed to go, and which finally ends with him informing me that he is going to wet his pants. I give him the same spiel - go but you have to be back in 3 minutes. I also make him sign out. Amazingly enough, he actually returns in 3 minutes. When I check the sign out book, however, I notice that boy #2 has scratched out both his and boy #1's name from the book. I also leave this in my note.

I felt really bad about letting the guys go even though the teacher told me not to let them go. I just didn't know what to do. What if it really was an emergency? How do you know?