Top 10 Stupidest Things Schools Ban

Ever hear about a school banning something and think, Wait, they can't be serious? Well, they often are, and that's why this list exists. Schools are known for coming up with some pretty questionable rules, often banning things that seem totally harmless or even helpful.

Some of these bans leave students scratching their heads, wondering what the real problem could possibly be. From everyday items like clothing and gum to normal human behaviors like talking, it's amazing (and sometimes hilarious) to see what makes the cut.

The Top Ten

Regular Clothes

I mean, the teachers wear normal clothes every single day, and I don't see why they ban it for children. If they keep suppressing the way we want to express ourselves through clothing, then I wonder why we even have First Amendment rights if school is just going to infringe on them.

Uniforms are just a waste of money for the school and the government. They don't even do anything! I read a Scholastic article on uniforms at an elementary school in NJ, and some little girl they interviewed said, "I think the school made a great decision." What? And you'd have to wear the same uniform every day! If you rip your uniform or lose it, you can get suspended. This is crazy. Stop the madness!
Hats

I think they're worried that the student behind you won't be able to see the teacher. But really, I am the 3rd smallest in the class, behind the 6th tallest, and I have to twist my head to see. Why bother with hats? Just use a strategic seating chart, and everything is fixed.

Hats don't even hurt anyone! If someone wants to express themselves by wearing a cool hat, then they should be able to.

My old school banned hats because, apparently, if kids wore them backwards, it was imitating a "gangster."
Chewing Gum

I guess I can get it to a certain point. But it's still a pretty stupid rule. Maybe certain people shouldn't be allowed to chew it, like if they stick it in someone's hair, but not everyone!

My school bans it. It's because people stick it under desks, and you still find ancient gum in some places every now and then. The rule does not affect me because I hate gum.

It probably wouldn't be banned if some of the kids weren't so lazy and threw the gum away in the trash instead of sticking it under the desks.
Music

We weren't even allowed to listen to music while working until last year. Seriously, what's wrong with it? I get that some people get distracted, but if anything, I feel like I work better with music. It's not like I'm playing it out loud to the whole class.

I like to listen to music while I do math. It takes a little longer, but I do just as well on it, and I kind of have fun.

Unless you were in a special needs school. The teachers had some music.
Talking

Okay, they have banned this. Why are schools trying to take away our First Amendment rights? I'm so glad I'm homeschooled.

You have the freedom of speech, but you can still get punished for it. You come to school to LEARN, not for SOCIAL HOUR.

If talking is banned, how can teachers communicate with students and tell them what to do?
Swearing

The teachers are hypocrites. About a year ago, a kid in my study hall said, "Damn it!" under his breath and was sent to detention or possibly even in-school suspension (ISS). Then, only a week after that, I heard the same teacher who reported him tell a kid that they were pissing her off.

At my school, there are tales of kids getting detention for literally saying, "What the," and that's all. But people usually swear when there aren't any teachers around and get off scot-free. I've never sworn at school before. And yes, my school is strict.
The Bible

My school does this. It's just SAD that people can't respect their religion in school.

A literally flawless book is banned.
YouTube

YouTube is a global video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States. It was created by three former PayPal employees on February 14, 2005. In November 2006, Google acquired YouTube for US$1.65 billion, and it is currently ranked as the second most visited website worldwide... read more

First, it was just set on Educational Mode, then blocked, unblocked, then Restricted Mode could be turned off.

YouTube was unblocked at my school when I started, but they blocked it when I was in fourth grade.

What, school can't afford to have stronger Wi-Fi when students are watching videos?
Hugging
Energy Drinks

Nobody in my school really drinks these, but they are banned, or at least frowned upon. But soda is allowed.

I don't know why they won't sell Monster in my school. I know that you need to be 12 to drink it, but they can't restrict it just to the high schoolers since we share the same school.

The Newcomers

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UGG Boots

Why would you ban UGG boots? I have a pair at home.
?
Jeans

The Contenders

Phones

My school is getting stricter each day about this. If a teacher sees you with a phone that they only allow in your locker, they will send you to the meanest assistant principal ever. She makes a huge deal out of school, by the way, and she'll yell at you for hours straight. Even if you're checking your phone at your locker, she will yell at you. This rule honestly drives me insane.

In Copenhagen, they don't have the right to take your stuff and not give it back at the end of the day. If they are taking phones for a whole school year, report them to the principal.
Leggings
Tippex

This is banned from my school. Apparently, it's too messy.

They ban ALL white-out correction fluids!
Dictionary

Aren't dictionaries important in a classroom? Especially English. Why would you ban those?

My high school English class made good use of dictionaries. Why ban them, for crying out loud?

My school, more specifically, my classroom, has a wall of dictionaries and thesauruses.
Coffee

One of my teachers is a coffee addict. She drank four cups a day and had a coffee maker in the classroom!

TEACHER: Tim, don't drink that coffee!
TIM: *drinks and aggressively smacks people*
Yep... I now know why coffee is banned.

Who would even drink coffee at school? Unless you're a teacher?
Google

Google LLC is an American multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products, including online advertising technologies, search, cloud computing, software, and hardware. It was founded in September 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students... read more
Urinals

I would rather use that than the dirty cubicles that are covered in you know what.
Snowball Fights

This is idiotic and spoils the fun during the winter. The teachers act like the snow is a dangerous weapon that'll send you to the hospital. The snow won't hurt anyone as long as you have winter clothes on.

Really, I've only seen snow once. We weren't allowed to play in it, but we got to play after the snow was gone. Pretty messed up, unless the snow was polluted or something.

At my brother's school, they let you make snowballs but didn't let you throw them. What are you going to do with those snowballs, huh?
Pokémon Cards

At my elementary school, I was in a gang of 5th graders who traded Pokemon cards, and it was 5th grade only. The younger kids at my school always whined, cried, and begged for free EX cards. When we told them, "Sorry, only 5th grade," or "We only trade cards, we don't give them out for free," they got mad and told the teachers.
A couple of days later, our principal banned them. But I go to middle school now, so hopefully, we can start this card thing again!

Did you know at my school, any card games, whether it be poker or something good like MtG, Pokemon, etc., are considered gambling?
Headphones

Actually, I brought mine, and it hung on my neck for the whole day, with no music, though.

I always bring these to school! Especially when you have to do projects!

No way I would NOT take my headphones!
Spotify

The school laptops that they provide for the online classes block this, and it is just completely ridiculous. What? I can't listen to music and do my school work at home?
Playing Tag

I wasn't allowed to play tag on the playground, but in 5th grade, my friends and I did it anyways. Then we got in trouble because someone had their eyes closed, and they fell off the top of the playground, which was really high up!

In my old school, they banned tag because one kid fell down and got hurt.
Dyed/Differently Coloured Hair

If it weren't a rule, I would have electric blue-colored hair instead of this nasty dark brown hair I have now. Then again, my mother wouldn't let me because she thinks I'm still a kid. I'm 13, a teen!

It's stupid to ban this from schools. People have freedom of their hair color!

Ugh, the school is already dull enough. Add some color!
Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia launched on January 15, 2001, by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. It is maintained by a community of volunteers who contribute and edit content using a wiki-based platform. These contributors are commonly referred to as Wikipedians.... read more

Schools shouldn't stop students from reading it. Instead, they should help them understand that they should only trust Wikipedia content when it is backed up with a reliable source. Vandalism of Wikipedia from school computers is also a problem, though Wikipedia admins can block the IP addresses from editing if it happens.
Makeup

Why would they ban makeup for the students when the teachers can wear it all day long and apply it all day long? If we even wear one inch of lip gloss, we get suspended. I say that is a load of bullcrap.

That is so pointless. It's not like the kids are going to actually apply it in class.

Easy, just go with the "natural look." A lot of kids in my school get away with that.