In the world of education , school rules and prohibitions reign supreme (school is a pretty conservative place!), some of which may seem unusual or even extravagant. We have put together a selection of several such prohibitions for you. I swear some of them will surprise you!
Brooklyn School vs Christmas
In one of the schools in New York, it was decided not to visit Santa Claus: the management of the educational institution came to the conclusion that these symbols are not relevant, especially given that most of the students are immigrants from Asia and South America.
Even though the majority of the population in Latin America is Christian, and Asian peoples are generally tolerant of other faiths, the leadership decided to move away from the Christmas theme. However, the school's teachers criticized this decision as an excessive manifestation of tolerance and are openly nostalgic for Christmas decorations.
American Schools vs. The Simpsons
The Simpsons animated series, thanks to its witty satirical approach to portraying school life and American culture in general, became damn popular almost immediately after its debut in 1989. However, he also has opponents, especially among the conservative part of American society. In the early 1990s, many school administrators even banned students from wearing T-shirts and other paraphernalia depicting characters from the animated series, believing that the Simpsons family was a poor role model! In 1992, the problem reached the president: George H.W. Bush expressed the opinion that American families should strive to be different from the Simpsons.
Over time, The Simpsons became a recognized phenomenon of American pop culture, and bans on paraphernalia with the characters of the animated series only increased interest in them. Sales of The Simpsons merchandise brought the creators more than $2 billion in the first 14 months.
Schools in Ust-Kamenogorsk against uninvited guests
In Ust-Kamenogorsk, a city in eastern Kazakhstan, a decision was made to ban parents from entering school under the pretext of counter-terrorism and security measures.
This decision caused discontent among the parents, heated debates and even appeals to the editors of local newspapers. The situation caused a wide public outcry, but it was not possible to lift the ban: now, instead of taking the child to class or meeting with the teacher, parents must stay in the lobby and patiently wait for someone to come out to them.
American School vs. Tom and Huck
A Philadelphia school canceled Twain's book "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" a few years ago because it was considered offensive and racist because of the repeated use of the word "nigga," a term that in modern society is considered highly offensive and acceptable only in certain cultural contexts, such as the lyrics of black rap artists.
The school explained that the potential harm of reading the book to public perception and attitudes toward race outweighed its literary qualities. Nevertheless, the decision to withdraw sedition from the school book depository was not made: if you want, you can read it, but in an optional mode.
By the way, the discussions around The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the United States are not new: in 2010, a "cleaned" edition of the novel was released, in which the controversial word was replaced by "slave".
German School vs Homework
At the Elsa-Braendstroem gymnasium in northern Germany, an unexpected decision was made for the education system: homework was completely abolished! This was due to a reduction in the length of schooling in Germany by one year, which led to a longer school day and an increase in the intensity of education, leaving children with almost no time for rest and leisure.
The director of the gymnasium explained that in the new conditions it is important to provide students with enough time for rest, sports and creativity, so it was decided to exclude homework from the school curriculum.
The rule does not apply to the final grades: for high-quality preparation for the final exams, self-preparation is necessary, there is nothing you can do about it.
English School vs Kissing
In one of the schools in the county of Somerset, a draconian decision was made: students were forbidden to kiss each other, threatening punishment for violating this rule. Principal Richardson announced that the school intends to follow "traditional values."
In the past, there have been cases in the same school where students have been punished for seemingly trivial things. For example, in 2007, one of the students was almost kicked out for nibbling on an apple on the tennis court. There were also incidents involving the wearing of school uniforms: 22 students were reprimanded for wearing uniforms bought in a supermarket instead of a more expensive version from the official supplier of school uniforms.
Italians vs. Heels
In one of the high schools in Avezzano, Italy, an unusual decision was made: to ban the wearing of high-heeled shoes. However, the reason for this ban is not related to the conservative views of the school management or concerns about the early maturation of students: the city of Avezzano is known for its seismic risk, in 1915 it was badly damaged by an earthquake that killed more than 33 thousand people. They say that heels will get in the way in the event of an emergency evacuation.
Despite this, both teachers and students of the school consider this ban unnecessary: many of them are sure that in the event of a serious earthquake, heels are unlikely to play a decisive role.
Dangerous Games
Some elementary schools in various U.S. states have decided to ban group competitive games, including popular games such as tag, American football, and traditional football. This decision was due to concerns for the safety of children: games can increase the risk of injury.
Like a mimosa plant in the Botanical Garden...
School Lunches
In 2011, a school in Chicago introduced an unusual rule regarding school lunches; Unlike most American schools, where children are allowed to bring lunch from home, this school has banned students from bringing their own food and forced everyone to eat in the school cafeteria. At the root of it all is equalization; The school sought to eliminate the distinction between children whose parents could afford to give their child an expensive lunch and those who could only bring a modest piece of bread and butter.
Halloween
In 2014, a Pennsylvania school banned Halloween after some parents raised concerns about religious overtones. Parents believed that Halloween carried certain religious connotations that might be incompatible with their beliefs or parenting principles.
Skinny jeans and plaid shirts
In 2009, a school in Texas introduced a dress code that banned skinny jeans: according to the school administration, they interfered with the learning process! In addition, a restriction was imposed on the wearing of striped and plaid shirts.
Hoodies
In one of the schools in Kansas, the administration made a rather unusual decision: it was forbidden to wear sweatshirts. The reason was that the students allegedly used the front pockets of sweatshirts in order to secretly blindly correspond in chats and send SMS messages.
Interestingly, the ban applied only to sweatshirts, while other clothes with pockets were not banned, and phones themselves remained allowed, which raised questions about the logic and effectiveness of such a decision.
Self-defence
Many public schools in the U.S. have a "zero tolerance" policy on bullying and fighting. This policy assumes that in any physical conflict, including cases of self-defense, both the aggressor and the victim must be punished equally. Debatable, very debatable.
