Top Ten Worst School Policies
This is a list of the most annoying or pointless school policies. This is not meant to be completely universal, just policies that exist in some school districts.
At my school, we get dress-coded for showing bra straps or shoulders. What is so distracting about that? It's even worse when you miss class just because you got dress-coded.
I mean, are you saying our clothing choices are more important than our education? That it's our fault if other people (mostly boys) are "distracted" by our outfits? At my school, the dress code is very sexist, mostly targeting girls. I understand things like no gang symbols or crop tops, but no shoulders? Seriously?
They had a dress-code video that used students as examples, and in the video, they specifically targeted and called out girl students for breaking the dress code. Only one boy was featured in the video, while about six girls were shown.
In my high school, the staff would LOCK UP all the bathrooms in the school. It started after they found kids smoking in them. They would only leave one or two open. The nurse has a bathroom, but it was for emergencies only.
Some of the teachers I've had would give us a maximum of 5 minutes to use the washroom. I'm sorry, but as much as I'd love if it worked like that, there are times, especially for girls, when we can't just "be done in 5 minutes."
If you're a female and you're on your period, you MUST get unlimited bathroom breaks. Either let us change in the restroom, or you'll have to deal with bloody chairs daily for a week each month!
Only too true. This is by far the easiest way to drastically improve the life and well-being of students. Yet, no schools make the change, and it frustrates me because there's literally no reason not to.
This is easily the most pointless policy any school has. Even companies should stop attempting sleep deprivation.
We get in trouble for sleeping in class when we have twenty minutes to get ready? Yeah, makes a lot of sense.
This used to be allowed in elementary school, but now we have to put our backpacks in our lockers. I wouldn't usually care that much about this, but the locker I got this year is bad. My lock barely even fits through it, so if I need to get something out of my backpack, I have to go to my locker and fight with it to get it to open.
When I was in high school, I had a homeroom teacher who forced the entire class to cram our HUGE backpacks into our TINY lockers. My locker got jammed/stuck several times because of this.
At my school, we're allowed to listen to music while we're doing work, but it really upsets me that some other schools don't allow it at all.
My teachers always allow us to listen to music except when we have to listen.
This is seldom allowed, but occasionally we can.
Once, my bus was late to my high school, and I went to the office to get a late pass. They marked me as an unexcused lateness and gave me a detention. They later crossed off the detention and changed it into an excused absence.
What if the bus makes a mistake? Why should you take the blame for that?
I would understand if you weren't in the room, but marking someone absent just because they're not in their seat by the bell is just ridiculous.
Well, my seat is at the teacher's place since there are two teacher's tables. The teacher doesn't care, though.
This one is SO easy to fix. Sit down in your seat and you won't get that unexcused tardy.
I don't care about that policy. I can chew gum in school if I want to.
Gum is proven to help kids focus.
Sometimes I don't think about what I bring because I'm more worried about making it to class, so there have been a lot of times when I've forgotten my pencil.
My high school special ed teacher once made a kid pay her $1 to borrow a pencil from her.
That is just so pointless! Teachers don't care nowadays!
There was a kid at my school who kissed a boy on the head. He got ISS for that. And no, that was not a typo. I said HE kissed a BOY on the head.
This is understandable in elementary school and middle school.
This is my third most hated rule in school and my fifth most hated rule in the entire world.
The Newcomers
Oh, but I can replace my calculator, ruler, and protractor with a phone. If they went paperless, they could save thousands of dollars by requiring kids to use phones. Really, simple logic.
I understand this one if it's distracting students, but in my math class, it's not allowed even if we're using the calculator app.
At my school, it depends on the teacher, but most let you use it if we're working on classwork.
I only understand this rule if it's to prevent spilling it on your work. I'm not a fan of soft drinks myself, but I don't see anything wrong with having them unless you drink a lot.
I really don't understand this. They're just words. I think as long as we're not offending anyone, this should be allowed in middle school and high school.
I kept saying "God damn it" so much in high school that my computer teacher asked me to sit outside.
According to a study, people who swear have a higher IQ than those who do not.
I HATE this rule. The teachers do NOT pay my phone bill. They do NOT have the right to possess private property without the parent/child consent. MY phone does not have a case on it all the time, but if they drop it, I'm suing. PERIOD!
Why the heck does this exist? "It's rude to wear a hat inside."
Yeah, but it's also incredibly rude to take a student's property and force parents to come and get it. And it's also extremely rude to ban backpacks and force us to carry everything. At least let me wear my hat.
I don't see how it's disrespectful to wear a hat or a hoodie unless they have something offensive on them. I really don't.
At my school, we are allowed to wear hats.
Last I checked, you're here to teach us, not to judge us based on how we look, so do your job and do it properly.
This is the absolute WORST rule! Why don't I get to look the way that I want?
Super duper dumb. I have long hair!
Wait... Are you serious?! Kids in middle school have had underground relationships! Man, freshman year is going to be tough!
This is understandable in elementary and middle school, but not in high school.
Why does school need to ruin people's social lives?
I plan on bringing some Pop-Tarts to school soon, so I can eat them in the period where I have a nice teacher who lets us eat in class.
BUT I'M HUNGRY.
My ELA teacher is cool with us eating in class. This kid next to me was eating some chips.
What if we haven't eaten all day?
When these things were popular, I had a teacher who smashed them with a hammer whenever he saw a student with one.
At my school, even if you get the problem right, it will be considered wrong if you don't show your work.
Sometimes I have a hard time explaining how I got the answers. I just did, okay?
At my school, you automatically get a zero if you don't show all your work.
Honestly, they're pointless. I've never needed to show a hall pass to anyone. Do you really need a pass to go across the hall?
Wait! During lunch? Are you serious?