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.
The Top Ten
1 Dress codes

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 cause 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.

Dress codes, are absolutely ridiculous. I find self-expression to be very theraputic, and I often do this through my clothing or makeup. I do consider regular creative outlets to be extremely de-stressing, and not having a dress code is the least the schools can do to foster this creativity and expression.

And come on, that three-finger strap rule that my middle school had? Really? It's just a shoulder!

2 Semester/quarter bathroom limits

In my high school, the staff would LOCK UP all the bathrooms in the school. It started after they found kids were smoking in them. They would only leave 1 or 2 open. The nurse has a bathroom, but it was for emergencies only.

Some of the teachers I've had would give us 5 minutes maximum to use the washroom. I'm sorry, but as much as I'd love if it worked like that, there are times, especially with girls, where 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 else you'll have to deal with bloody chairs daily for a week each month!

3 School start time being earlier than 9:00am

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.

My school starts at 7:45, meaning I have to wake up at 5:00 every morning just to shower and get ready. But I've gotten used to it and it's honestly not that bad.

This is easily the most pointless policy any school has. Even companies should stop attempting sleep deprivation.

4 No backpack during school

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 had gotten jammed/stuck several times because of this.

In middle school, the only time we can have a backpack is entering the school and leaving the school. Otherwise, they stay in your locker

5 No listening to music

At my school, we're allowed to listen to music while we're doing work, but it really pisses me off that some other schools don't let you at all.

My teachers always allow us to listen to music except when we have to listen.

Unless you went to a special needs school and the teacher plays it lolololololol.

6 Being tardy because of missing the bus leading to an unexcused absence

Once my bus was late to my high school and I went to the office to get a late pass and 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

7 Not sitting in your seat when the bell rings (even if you're in the room) leading to an unexcused absence

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 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.

8 No chewing gum

If anyone would see the bottom of the desks at my school, it'll make you realize this rule isn't so bad.

I don't care about that Policy, I can chew gum in School as I want to.

Gum is proven to help kids focus.

9 Punished for not having a ruler/pen/pencil

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 where 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 for just not having a rule/pen/pencil! teachers don't give a crap nowadays!

10 No kissing

This is a really good rule because I dislike seeing two middle students in the hall locking lips with lips. WHAT THE (CENSORED) THERE TOO YOUNG. The age to start dating is around is around 16 or 18 around and these kids were 13 or 14 and kissing. And no one cared. So I agree

This is actually a good rule for middle school, because usually, kids in middle school are 13-14 years old. They shouldn't be doing that BS in middle school, because they're too young.

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.

The Contenders
11 Having to add on extra days to the school year because of a snow day
12 No cell phones

I do happen to agree with this one. It is a bit disrespectful to be on your cell phone while a teacher is trying to talk. So, I can understand why this is a rule.

You are allowed to use it for a calculator, though in a math class.

Oh, but I can replace my calculator, ruler, and protractor with a phone. But 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.

13 No energy/fizzy drinks

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.

14 No swearing

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.

Well, I put cuss words on a lot of my world studies assignments and my teacher is totally cool with that. No seriously, he never told me not to do that.

I kept saying "God damn it" so much in high school computer teacher asked me to sit outside.

15 No phones in class

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 I'm suing. PERIOD!

16 No wearing hats in school

Why the heck does this exist?
"It's rude to wear a hat inside"
Ya, but it's also hella rude to take a student's property and force parents to come and get it, an dits also extremely rude to ban backpacks and force us to carry everything. At least let me wear my flipping hat man

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.

17 Not allowed to have long hair

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!

18 No boyfriend / girlfriend

Wait... Are you serious?!? Kids in middle school have had underground relationships! Man, Freshman year is going to suck!

This is understandable in elementary and middle school. Not in high school.

Why does school need to ruin peoples social life?

19 No eating in the class

I plan on bringing some Poptarts to school soon, so I can eat them in the period where I have a nice teacher that lets us eat in there.

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?

20 No fidget spinner in school

When these things were popular, I had a teacher who smashed them with a hammer whenever he saw a student with one.

Well they are irrelevant at this point anyway. Nobody really thinks they are cool anymore

Fidget spinners? What year is this again?

21 You have to show your work whenever you answer a question

It makes sense for math problems but I hate those "Explain Your Thinking" problems. Especially on an easy problem like 2 x 2.

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?

22 English only

I remember that in foreign languages class in middle school/high school they won't let you speak English at all...

It's not racist lol, It's the most universally spoken language in the entire world. Also one of the easiest languages to learn.

23 No wearing jewelry
24 Hall passes

Honestly they're pointless. I've never needed to show a hall pass to anyone. And do you really need a pass to go across the hall?

Mrs Holt was very strict all at least
About that!

25 No talking during lunch

Wait! During lunch? Are you serious?

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