Unfortunately, some schools have rules that are unfair and super problematic — and people are pointing them out.
Recently, redditor u/hugscar asked the internet, "What are unethical practices schools do?" and people shared a ton of eye-opening responses based on their own experiences in school.
Here are some of the top-voted ones:
1. "Not letting kids go to the toilet when they need to."
"I distinctly remember one kid in my German class bursting into tears because he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He asked at least three times."
2. "Our assembly room/gymnasium had the fire escape doors chained shut, and the police department was aware of it."
3. "Limiting kids' access to water (as in, you can’t have your drink bottle at the table)."
4. "Bullied and harassed students facing the same repercussions as their bully for defending themselves."
5. "Firing lunchroom staff for serving food to poor students whose families can't afford to pay."
6. "This is probably very specific to my home country, but period checks. I'm from Malaysia, and yes, sadly, this is a thing, and I've witnessed it firsthand. Mostly to make sure girls aren't lying about their periods just to get out of prayer activities."
7. "One of my PE teachers used to record our periods in her register so she could give detentions when we said we couldn't take a shower after the session, with that as a reason."
8. "Only having one bathroom open in a high school. There are thousands of kids."
"Closing every single bathroom because of one fight in a bathroom. We have 28 bathrooms in our school, and all of them are closed."
9. "Giving preference to kids whose parents donate money and fraternize with teachers/headmasters."
10. "Lowering a school's funding if the SAT scores are low. If the scores are low, there should be more funding to help kids learn!"
11. "In the case of a fire, I think it’s stupid that we have to go in alphabetical order."
"So Adam is happy and healthy, but Zach just turned into ash. In my opinion, they should all just get in a line, no matter what."
12. "Requiring students to purchase brand-new textbooks from the college bookstore — because that's the only way to get the access code to complete the required assignments on the publisher's website."
13. "When bullied students are told to leave because it's easier to kick out a quiet victim than a loud bully."
14. "Zero-tolerance policies. Oh, that kid hit you for no reason? You're both suspended, zero tolerance!"
15. "My school's gym teacher not only didn't stop bullying but openly supported it because 'them little soft, sensitive fucks need to be taught how rough the real world is,' and he would cheer on the bullies when he saw them beating up other students."
"'Good gym teachers are hard to find here, so he's staying' was the school's answer to that."
16. "For about a year, I worked for a federal student loan servicer. People would call in, and I'd try to help them find a way to manage their student loans. I don't want to really unravel the student loan thing, but there are financial aid offices out there that are straight-up lying to their potential students."
"If I had one person tell me that they were told they wouldn't have to pay back their loans if they graduated, I'd chalk it up to that person being an idiot. When I had 10 people telling me they were told that, I think there's someone misinforming them."
17. "Passing students who aren't ready for the next grade because they need to pad their passing rates to keep funding. It's setting the kids up for failure down the road."
18. "Making school start at 7 a.m."
19. "Making kids sell magazines or whatever. Should be 100% illegal, and I dunno what kind of parents stand for that BS."
20. "Awarding 'perfect attendance.' Encouraging kids to go to school while sick is pretty unethical, if you ask me."
21. "Too much homework. Let kids be kids. A little homework is good, but god, don't drown the kids in it."
22. "Collective punishment. One or two pupils misbehave and the entire class gets punished for it."
23. "Convincing kids that a four-year institution after graduation is the best choice for everyone."
And finally...
24. "Dress code policing, especially for girls. It's demeaning."
What other school practices are unethical? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.