Our camp rule is no bathroom breaks during class. May I enforce it according to halacha?

You may, but it is not recommended.

Bal teshaktzu prohibits forcing the body into a state of harmful retention. A brief, reasonable delay, or asking permission rather than leaving at will doesn’t reach that level, since the issur is about real, sustained withholding, not a short wait.

It’s permitted to prioritize limud haTorah over an immediate bathroom break in the case of one who is in the middle of learning and would cause bittul Torah by stopping – see here. A teacher’s authority to structure the classroom, requiring students to ask rather than get up freely, fits within this.

It is important to add that this is not designed to be imposed by someone else when a student says he genuinely can’t wait. Younger children, especially, may not judge urgency well or feel comfortable pushing back. While a “ask first” policy is fine and even sensible, treating it as an absolute rule with no exceptions is where it stops being advisable. A teacher’s relationship of trust with students is generally better served by a policy that is firm on structure (ask first, don’t just leave) but flexible on genuine need, rather than an absolute prohibition. A teacher should still use judgment and let a student go when the need seems real.

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