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"Guys! We employed a bunch of people with consciences! We can get them to do a load of shit that they're not paid to do by leaning on their sense of morality! WAHEY!"
The tories made the exact same arguments in the 1970s when they took free milk away from early years school children. But they didn't give a shit about teacher workload. They just wanted to make a political point and save a bit of money.
The teachers incidentally were against the removal of free milk, despite the additional overhead it took out of their day to distribute it.
I've a feeling if another leader came up with this policy you'd be in favour of it.
EDIT: And let's not pretend teachers aren't already doing this. From the BDA:
- 83% of secondary teachers say they or their school have given
students toothbrushes and toothpaste. 81% said there are children in
their school who don't have regular access to supplies - 40% said this leads to students being socially excluded by their
peers because of oral hygiene issues. Half report children isolating
themselves. One third have witnessed bullying directly - 25% say children miss school because of poor oral hygiene. Three
quarters (74%) said children who don't have regular access to oral
health products have discoloured teeth. Half said children had
noticeable tooth decay. 30% noted children in dental pain or
suffering from halitosis - Nearly a third (31%) of teachers who witness poverty in the
classroom said it affected their mental health. 1 in 4 are kept
awake at night worrying about their students' wellbeing. 38% report
feeling helpless.
- 83% of secondary teachers say they or their school have given
Most of the teachers I know would prefer to spend five minutes a day doing supervised brushing than watch their kids end up in agony in hospital because their teeth are rotting out of their heads.