15 times schools’ weird rules and decisions had people saying “WTF!”

Bruno Cooke. Updated January 5th, 2025

At my (single-gender) school, one of the senior management team would traipse around the bus bay before the morning bell, eyeing reproachfully the boys and girls saying goodbye to each other and preventing any wanton physical contact.

We thought it was a bit weird. School hadn’t started, nothing untoward was going on.

But that barely brushes the sides compared to some of the tales told in the r/AskReddit forum in response to the question:

As a parent, what did your child’s school do that made you say “you can’t be serious…”?

These raised eyebrows, and a couple could have raised a lawsuit.

In preschool, my kid had a toilet accident and managed to convince the teachers I wanted the poo.

“He said you’d want it!”

“AND YOU BELIEVED HIM??!”
–B-tchinB-tchT-ts

What an absolute legend.

When he’s old enough to date make sure you tell him that with great power comes great responsibility.
–liquid_acid-OG

Wait I just remembered my school wouldn’t let us play or hang out in groups of more than 3 kids during recess.
–HappyMonty

Real story.

Kids aged 8 and 10 came home with a note, freaking out that the school was going to force them to allow doctors to look at their privates.

Everyone in class was stressed over this.

Upon reading the note I had to sign, it said curvature of the spine exam, and boys and girls will be screened in private areas..
–Adorable-Writing3617

School wouldn’t let my son carry his own ventolin inhaler for asthma; instead he needed to go to the administration office and ask for it (he was pretty good at knowing when he needed it).

Head office lady called and said his frequency of visits was increasing, that perhaps he was forming a habit and “should she still give it to him?” Stunned silence… “He needs it to breathe…so yes, please still give it to him”.
–previousspread5142

Hah, my grade school principal tried to convince me not to call my mother when I’d broken my arm on the monkey bars.

She was… upset about that.

Edit: Quote from my mom to my principal: “It infuriates me that you breathe the same air as I do.”
–Asshole_Poet

There was set to be a really good solar eclipse in 2015 and despite the children all having safety viewing glasses, the school intended to keep the children in the hall to watch on TV instead.

The eclipse was expected at 09:30, so I asked could I take him to watch the eclipse and return him to school immediately after and they said no, it would be recorded as an unauthorised absence if I did.

So, I did anyway. It was a once in a childhood educational opportunity that the school planned for them to miss.

I took him to a nearby beach, where we were plunged into darkness. It was awesome. I took him to school straight afterwards and have not an ounce of regret.

We’ve not had an eclipse like it since.
–Limpy-Seagull

My older daughter came home from elementary school frustrated because an answer on her quiz was marked as incorrect. She had answered that a tomato is a fruit. Which it is.

I wrote a note to her teacher to explain that, as it has seeds and grows from a flower, a tomato is actually a fruit.

Said teacher wrote a response that said something like, “While a tomato technically meets the definition of a fruit, because it is used like a vegetable, we are teaching the students that a tomato is a vegetable.”

We happened to be at the school a couple of weeks later for an unrelated function and I bumped into that teacher. “So,” I said, “what other complete falsehoods are you teaching my daughter?”

That teacher and I did not get along.
YourUncleCraig

During the protests in Hong Kong, kindergarten told us not to allow the kid to wear a face mask or risk being detained by police or mistaken for a “rioter”.

Kid was 6 at the time. Very dangerous age.
–lechef

That children weren’t allowed to have a best friend.
If two kids got along too well, the teachers would intentionally separate them by switching desks, put them in different groups, not let them be partners on projects,.etc.

They would even mess with their recess and let one kid out on time and the second a minute or so late, hoping the first would start playing with other kids before the best friend came out.
–StylingMofo

10.

Teacher sent back a spelling test. My kid had spelled it “invsiable” in red pen beside it was “invisiable”. I emailed the teacher and asked what word they were attempting to spell, “invisible”.
YesNoMaybePurple

11.

My daughter’s school banned water bottles because some kid made a TikTok about turning water into fake wine.
SexyDarling_0

12.

Private school: decided to go to year-round silent lunch for elementary students. They had already cut them back to a single 15 minute recess but at least they had lunch for downtime. So this was a weird choice.
LittleIrishPixie

13.

My 7 year old son came home from school and informed me that Banksy was not an artist and drawing on other people’s things was vandalism. This had come from the same teacher who a couple of weeks earlier had praised my child to the skies for his inquisitive nature and enjoyment of discussing the topics they were learning.

These were well off kids in a private school, and when presented with an opportunity to introduce an age appropriate conversation about the nature of art and a whole host of social issues, she went with vandalism.

I am not one of life’s troublemakers but I made a fuss that day. And made my long suffering partner accompany me and our son on a trip to the seaside to look at a Banksy mural.

I don’t even like Banksy that much.
Tinymrscollings

14.

With two days notice, they announced a Curious George Day and encouraged us to send our kids dressed in Curious George inspired outfits with a banana flavored snack. Smh. I laughed until I cried when I saw that one.
winelizabethadore

15.

My mom was once called in by the principal because when my brother and I were in first class we already new the correct answer to “What is 1 minus 2?” Turns out she explained to us how a thermometer works a couple of weeks earlier and we used that knowlege to answer the question. The principle thought it would be bad for our development, if we learn about negative numbers at such an early age. My mother was absolutly not amused and still gets upset about it, when she remembers that inicident.
J0k3r89

Finally …

Twenty-five years ago we were having difficulty making a school officiant understand that the adrenaline a child needed to treat a severe peanut allergy, could not, in fact, be held in the office.

‘BUT IT’S A NEEDLE.’

‘YES BUT HE’LL DIE. ‘

‘BUT IT’S A NEEDLE.’

Good to know we’re making progress.
–ShakeUpWeeple1800

Source: r/AskReddit Image Screengrab, Pixabay