35 Unethical Practices That Are Surprisingly A Thing In Some Schools, As Pointed Out By Folks Online
Now, school ought to be a place of learning where eager minds would try to soak in every bit of knowledge and experience they can before they hit the real world.
Alas, schools are also a place where certain decisions beg more questions than they could possibly answer and, in some cases, it has reached unethical levels.
People of Reddit have been listing unethical practices that schools do, and nobody is really batting an eye about it. The discussion generated nearly 11,000 comments with over 24,000 upvotes.
Bored Panda has collected the most upvoted responses to this question and compiled a list which you can find below. Vote and comment on the answers that you think are the biggest problems, and why not also share some of your observations in the comment section below!
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Harassing teenage girls for "dressing inappropriately" when a millimeter of their bra strap is showing (or some other bulls**t like that). Telling them it distracts the boys and invites unwanted attention.
When they actually get harassed (or worse) the school does nothing.
It also perpetuates the notion that girls are responsible for controlling boys’ behavior!
It is not only sexist but it has very pedophiliac connotations. My catholic school did not allow middle school or high school girls to wear any kind of shorts (they needed to go until your ankles) (yes also doing sports at 40C with long trousers) or to even wear sandals. Once we asked our tutor why we couldnt do it (at least for gym) and the boys could and he answered "because their knees are not erotic". It repulses me two decades later to think that he found our knees erotic
If I had the power, I would pass a law saying that sexualizing girls like this would result in a minimum of 1 year in prison and be put on a sex offender's list for 10 years.
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Or worse: the school tell the girls they are "overreacting", "boys will be boys", and "boys behave like that because they like you", and "maybe it's your fault for wearing short skirts". Disgusting.
Those first two absolutely boil my piss. Just no, teach your boys or my daughter will punch him in the face and I will buy her a cake.
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If a 15 year old boy gets distracted by a girl's body IT IS NOT HER FAULT!
Honestly, how can they not see that a boy being massively distracted by the strap of the thing that's holding someones tits up is a massive issue for the boy only and his to deal with.
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"Dressing inappropriately" That's a load of bullsh*t. When I went to school, we had no dress code. During summer, girls would wear above the knee skirts and shorts, spaghetti tops, crop tops, etc., our bra straps were showing, and no one felt "distracted". Not even 15 yo boys. No one. So this dress code is just a tool for controlling women.
the culture of guilt about women's body is more about adults ideologies that the reality...the f**k up thing is, that that's how the boys learn and grow up to believe that is what me do, and then just adjust to it...you get a perfect circle passing down this mentality down the generations...
Because aparently boys can get seduced by shoulders? In all seriousness this is a dumb rule that needs to be abolished and made socially unacceptable
My head teacher in high school hated my from day one and among other things often criticized my clothing and kept saying that the school rules don't allow this or that so after a while I asked for the specific rules. He said I should not wear anything "not acceptable to public opinion" . I asked if that meant his opinion. He couldn't answer.
How about punishing boys for being distracted by a bra strap and giving unwanted attention to girls?
Part of the issue, I think, is that when you look at clothes sold to teenagers, the girls' clothes, and the fashion trends, always, always emphasize figure-hugging, skin-showing clothing. Whereas the boys, it's usually looser, more covering clothing. Yes, there are still skinny jeans, but that is really it for boys. So it's very easy to penalize girls for their dress, because the same factors simply do not exist in a boy's wardrobe. The fashion industry sexualized girls long before the boys ever thought about it. That being said, it's not up to girls to adapt their choices to accommodate what boys do or think.
There was a massive pedo in my year at school and he harrassed me and many other girls. When I found out he left I was so happy I wouldn't have to sprint round school from him, but less happy when I found out he wasn't expelled, just moved house. The biggest punishment he got was a couple half hour detentions, wasn't even suspended. I wasn't joking when I said I literally had to run to my lessons when I saw him there, he was so much bigger and stronger than me it was terrifying
In my school this doesn't even exist! Girls normally wear thin straps on their tops and boys never get distracted by that, it's very common and boys are used to it!
Bra straps aren't the problem in California schools. I've seen girls wearing Braletts as tops and skirts and shorts with their complete ass hanging out. It's like reason doesn't exist. It's one extreme or the other.
Careful you're making sense...people will attack you..lol
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My daughter was made to wear a set of scrubs the school kept on hand dress code violations. She was wearing a sleeveless dress that was supposed to have straps 3 fingers apart. Her straps were 1/8" off. This happened a few feet from a couple who were furiously making out. The teacher did not say a word to the couple who were breaking a school policy that would have given them an in school suspension.
When are men (and boys for that matter) going to be held responsible for their own actions?
It's called prison...but see we teach kids self respect young that way they aren't bad people when older...funny how people are crazy and so out of touch..
Load More Replies... That was the case in my high school (we had an uniform). There was literally three hall monitors (or something like that) who had a measuring tape to be sure that the skirt was not more than an inch above the knee; looking for bra straps OR if the bra was visible through clothing etc. When girls tried to ask to be able to wear pants (especially during winter), the management told them it was "boys clothing". The distraction argument came up a couple of times too and students, teachers and other staff members alike told them it was bullshît. Eventually, bad press, teachers strike and students protest forced the school to change policies... it took two years though and countless detentions for "troublemakers".
The best way around this is to have a school uniform. Enforce the same regulations regardless of gender. Then you have very few issues.
Uniforms could eliminate bullying against kids who don't care about or can't afford cool clothes. I would have a request though, that the uniforms offer pants for girls. Maybe skirts for boys would be ok too, such as the kilt-like skirts some guys wear.
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Unfortunately the more mature a girl's body is the worse it gets too. I've seen a fully girl who's body is clearly more developed get in trouble for wearing something the thinner or less developed girls wear all the time.
My daughter is 9 and she wont wear inappropriate stuff till she is out of my house..but hopefully I raise her right and not be a lefty weirdo
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Thinks can't get really sour for the school once harassment happened, we teacher ain't payed enough to deal with the bullsh*t. If it's not even worse enough, sometimes it's the teacher or school worker are the one doing the harassment. So just follow the rules and stay out of trouble. You don't always expect people to help you solving the mess of your own making.
No self respecting women wears yoga pants every day...that's just lazy people
Load More Replies... These Girls are not responsible for these boys' behavior. And the boys that misbehave should be held accountable. There is never an excuse for that type of behavior. And blaming it on the girls it's just irresponsible.
NO SUBJECT IN TEACHING. Is more PROFOUND-IMPORTANT than RESPECT for every living thing. All humans have urges! Hormone changes-urges. BOYS Must to taught that at NO TIME DO YOU VIOLATE/HARMS/OVERPOWER/TAKE ADVANTAGE OF/DISRESPECT A FEMALE. Can u wrap your mind around this! IT SHOULD START IN EACH CHILDS LIFE AT HOME- unfortunately our world/humans are a Very Out of Balance.
This IS when BOYS MUST BE TAUGHTboundries that are Never Crossed. ETHICAL LIVING, respect for others, the urges that happen To every male& female at some age—Must be lovingly taught as Nature AND how to handle YOURSELF and NEVER invade, make fun of OR HARM another person. A FAILING OF ALL “teaching” - HUMANITY IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANT SUBJECT!
That's the difference between public and private schools! Dress Code!Public schools don't have a strict dress code! Private schools have a strict dress code!Glad my parents sent me to a Public school! I only wore dresses/skirts on Sundays for church!
Uniforms. Our public school district went to uniform decades ago.
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The harassment by boys is the much worse issue, and given every school in NJ now must allow boys to use the girls' bathrooms "because gender is fluid" there's going to be more of what happened in VA
My school put me in school suspension for my shorts being 2 inches from my knee, but got mad when I wouldn't wear their gym shorts that wear 2: in from my behind. They ended up making me sit out for gym and failing gym. 😐
When I was in school, the girls would get sent to the office for a bra strap showing, even if we readjusted so it was no longer showing. In the teachers eyes, that wasn't good enough. Meanwhile, the style for boys at the time was to PURPOSFULLY hang their pants super low so most of their underwear showed. The teachers simply told them to pull up their pants and left it at that. Even though they would usually pull them back down the second the teachers back was turned.
Yes that's why you teach boys and girls self respect
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This doesn't just end at HS when I was in college this was a thing too 🙄
School dress code is bullshit!! Not only does it penalize women way more then men... schools also let "good looking" women get away with more than perceived "ugly" or "fat" girls. I was always a little heavy in school and would get harrassed about my shorts if they were a centimeter to short, but pretty girls could wear booty shorts and be okay. It was infuriating!!!!
I would say having more curvy body type is the problem, I was thin but curvy and has to listen to some teachers scolding me for my arms or cleavage.
Load More Replies... There will be bad guys always....that's why you dont dress inappropriately..bad guys dont really care about your feelings..and to teach self respect to young girls is what you're doing. I love when people who dont have or hate kids try to write about them
Bad guys dont care about your clothes either! Being fully covered does not automatically create an invisible force field that repels guys with ill intent. My daughter has been taught to have self respect BUT also common sense and to be aware of her surroundings and who is around.
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I did 9 years of catholic school wearing a uniform... I got sooooo much unwanted attention. Imagine being 12 and have some a-hole slow down to whistle... Disgusting!!!
That's alot of words for "no one loved me as a child"
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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!
Bullied and harassed students having the same repercussions as their bully for defending themselves.
I've never understood this...even as adults...in our country if someone is trying to kill you and you defend yourself, you can be charged with assault...like what?!?!
How sports programs have way more money than any other programs at the school… because school is a business not education.
Sports are focused on FAR too much at the schools by me. Whenever I drive past there are ALWAYS notices about games and whatever. School should be focused on education, not sports
Awarding “perfect attendance.” Encouraging kids to go to school while sick is pretty unethical if you ask me.
firing lunchroom staff for serving food to poor students whose families can't afford to pay
We've got school lunches in primary and secondary schools here...which are free and for low income families. A few years back they also instituted breakfast.
Collective punishment; one or two pupils misbehave and the entire class gets punished for it.
Too much homework. Let kids be kids. A little homework is good but god don't drown the kids in it.
I hear that...we used to have hours of homework. Sometimes I just want to relax and sleep.
Requiring you to purchase textbooks brand new from the college's bookstore because that's the only way to get the access code to complete the required assignments on the publishers website.
I remember the problem of buying school books when we were poor. But actually some college books are only purchased by a few dozen people on that particular course, so would not be produced without those purchases. So SOME people purchasing the book is important. However you acquire the book should not be anything to do with the college though.
I was a decently misbehaved third grader. Told my teacher I had a stomach ache and I needed to go to the nurse. I asked a number of times. She thought I was just trying to get out of individual reading time. My appendix burst on the bus ride home.
I was never one to ask to go to the nurse. Just a hyperactive kid my teacher apparently had enough of. Denying medical attention to an 8 year old seems unethical. This is not a "boy who cried wolf" story for all those saying "I told ya so".
I remember one time in digital technology class I developed a splitting pain below my stomach. I think it was trapped gas in my bowels or something. Anyway, I asked my teacher if I could go to the nurse, but she told me no because class was "almost over" and that I have to wait until it was finished before I could go. Except that class was over in an hour, so I had to stay seated in my chair, in agony, for an hour. Did I mention that digital technology was my last class that day? So school was over by the time class ended and I couldn't stay behind because then I'd be late and I can't be late because my mum had to pick up my brothers from their schools as well so I never got to the nurse. And then there was that other time where I nearly fainted in the mandatory religion class and I did have to go to the nurse and while my friend was leaving my schoolbag in the nurse's office, she told me that the substitute teacher was pissed at me for missing class.
Bullied students are told to leave because it's easier to kick out a quiet victim than a loud bully
Or when they call the bully and say "bullied kid said you did X" and when they deny it they just leave it there...like thanks for now increasing the bullying that already existed.
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.
zero tolerance policies.
Oh that kid hit you for no reason? both suspended zero tolerance!
Zero tolerance sometimes meant Zero Effort or Zero Intelligence.
Less severe but limiting kids access to water, I.e. you can’t have your drink bottle at the table. Which sucks when you live in Australia and at summer the temperature gets up to 36c and school is during all the hottest hours of the day.
Tormenting socially awkward /introverted students
I hinestly believe that some teachers enjoy making their kids suffer. I speak very fast and because of that i stutter if I read out loud. One of my teachers loved making me read all the time and kept smiling while some of the students laughted. Once i got so tired that i shut up and sat in the middle of a sentence and refused to ever read in her classes. Bitch
Passing students that 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.
Treating special needs kids subhumanly because they can’t speak up for themselves…then belittling/reprimanding the staff who do advocate for them.
Giving preference to kids that parents donate money and fratranise with teachers/ headmasters.
I've seen this time and time again...the systems is way to broken.
Our assembly room/gymnaisum had the fire escape doors chained shut, and the police department was aware of it.
C9Juice says:
7 am classes
S_thyrsoidea replied:
7am classes in complete disregard for what the science says about adolescent development and sleep schedule, and the effect of early classes on academic success.
My school: you should sleep at least 9 hours a night Also my school: you must wake up at 6 in the morning
Making hair part of the uniform and dictating what hair styles and colours students are allowed to have. Also letting girls wear short skirts in summer but not letting boys wear shorts. I've seen quite a few schools in the news where the boys have had to protest and wear skirts in the summer because they weren't allowed shorts.
"Also letting girls wear short skirts in summer" while at the same time cry out loud in case of shoulder free top or barely visible bra strap, I presume.
Present opinions as facts.
I had a Social Studies asshole teacher/coach who told the class that if a girl is getting raped, she should relax and enjoy it. I got up and walked out. I spoke up, and nothing was done, since he was a coach. I was 14. The good old 70's.
Not care about students's mental health
Yup. I was really depressed at school and it was widely known. There was exactly one teacher who talked to me and tried to help. Everyone else just ignored me, obviously wasting away. I OD’d at school (like an idiot, I’d read that death would occur after 10-12 hours, so I did it at lunchtime thinking that 12 hours later I’d be in bed -, not realising symptoms would kick in a lot sooner than that) and literally started sliding off my desk during maths a few hours later. The teacher ignored it, until the guy sitting next to me suggested he should take me to the nurse because I didn’t look well…
Convincing kids that a 4-year institution after graduation is the best choice for everyone.
I think Boomers were the last generation to not be required by society to have a college degree in order to get a job!
Keeping bad teachers in their positions. Not the same as a good teacher with poorly performing students with bad home life etc.
People talk about students being able to grade and review teachers as a joke but it would actually be a great idea (especially if it can be done anonymously)
Humiliating and/or calling out students in front of the whole class
also saying things like "you'll never pass my class/get into Harvard/get into college" to the entire class for some reason always with a stupid, arrogant smirk on their face... The first two are true stories, the first from my Honors Algebra II teacher to a class of 15/16-year-olds and the second from my HONORS SCHOOL to a class of 14/15-year-olds which was supposed to prepare me for that exact thing!! What makes the second even worse is that the person who said it was... wait for it... THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR!!!
School counselors are actually just stuck up baboons who expect bullies to obey you by telling them to stop. WTF?
Only having one bathroom for open in a high school. There are 1000’s of kids.
The pledge of allegiance, confiscating kid's phones, withholding graduation ceremonies because they've labelled kids troublemakers, zero tolerance policies, ignoring and covering up bullying
Ripping off a Kids insulin pump and yanking out the IV line because you are too stupid to see it isn’t a phone
Professors selling their own books for their class
For us it's textbooks that have "amendments" every year. Like, why should I trust you if you keep making mistakes. lol
Over the top dresscode making girls feel like s**t because of it
Dress codes that are really different for boys and girls make no sense
Making kids sell magazines or whatever. Should be 100% illegal and I dunno what kind of parents stand for that bulls**t.
Diagnosing kids who aren't interested in the curriculum with ADHD. Still don't understand how I get diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school just for it to magically disappear halfway through middle school, for it then to reappear freshman year of high school just to disappear again sophomore year.
And then kids who actually have ADHD get told they're faking it. Misdiagnosis doesn't benefit anyone.
Not letting kids take part in a test because their parents havent paid.
Put make up exams during lunch. I’m running on no food for the past 21 hours because I had to skip lunch to do a makeup exam. Thank god the school day is almost over
Side note, I exercise a lot so I generally eat a lot so this s**t is really annoying
Selling 2x the number of parking passes than spots actually exist for, then imposing steep parking fines.
Yeah, that sucks.I guess they have to discourage students driving on campus somehow.
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How about NASTY lunches? I know some kids who only eat school lunch (it's free here) and eat hardly any of it bc it is sooo bad and then end up hungry the rest of the day.
The funding of schools should be a massive priority, and it should be a massive vote winner for politicians. It isn't and it doesn't, and it completely baffles me. Why would you not pump a sponge like brain with everything you can. Maybe that kid becomes an engineer who solves a massive problem, a scientist who cures the common cold. I just don't know why you wouldn't throw everything at educating kids. School should be free, school lunches should be free, teachers shouldn't have to buy supplies (and they should get paid well), school trips should be free, there should be no fundraisers.... The US defense budget is $715 billion... There's about 50m kids in school. That's $14,300 per student. Imagine what they could do with that.
Maybe if kids were educated they wouldn't make the same mistakes the adults keep making as they actually learned history adequately.
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I had a teacher who would verbally abuse kids. One time he showed us an animated porn thingy. Everyone told the teachers, no one believed us. Until some kids got video proof and he was finally fired.
Being a nerd in school, I didn't friends up until seventh grade so I was really quiet and stumbled over words. The biggest bullies always end up being teachers, I only had a handful that took my anxiety issues seriously and eased me into talking in front of the class. The other teachers would punish kids with issues like me and it's absolutely NOT right. A child, even a teen, should not be punished because they're nervous, scared, have impairments, etc. It makes me wonder if any of those teachers were ever kids and not some kind of robot.
My kid is in kindergarten and we're already dealing with a class bully. I spoke to the teacher and apparently this girl pesters multiple classmates: hitting, scratching, biting, etc. One time she tried to kiss my son. We're in a freaking pandemic! Teach your kid to keep their slobber to themselves. And the response? Every parent got a message from the teacher reminding us that the kids need to keep their hands to themselves. But we all know the reason behind that message. Makes me wonder about the girl's home life.
“One bad apple ruins the whole bunch”/ collective punishment. My elementary school did this and I bet they were hoping we would forget. It was not just no recess it was you must walk these laps for recess/exercise punishment. I brought it up back then but no one will take a 9 year old seriously. They legit said that it was so “The good kids would pressure the bad ones to be better.” Like … that’s called bullying and isn’t that your job? Tbh my high school does this too with our lunches.
Almost all of these examples seem to occur only in the States. I work at a school and we don't have to deal with most of these problems.
They wonder why the obesity rates are so high. And give you 30 minutes for lunch; including the time it takes to walk to the cafeteria and to your next class, and the time taken to stand in line to get your food. Teaching kids to wolf down their meal as quickly as possible will get you overweight adults.
A bunch of these are just reality. Like you need to be prepared for reality.
If you're at a private, paid, or a religious school then some of these things are expected. And no one's forcing you to go.
How about NASTY lunches? I know some kids who only eat school lunch (it's free here) and eat hardly any of it bc it is sooo bad and then end up hungry the rest of the day.
The funding of schools should be a massive priority, and it should be a massive vote winner for politicians. It isn't and it doesn't, and it completely baffles me. Why would you not pump a sponge like brain with everything you can. Maybe that kid becomes an engineer who solves a massive problem, a scientist who cures the common cold. I just don't know why you wouldn't throw everything at educating kids. School should be free, school lunches should be free, teachers shouldn't have to buy supplies (and they should get paid well), school trips should be free, there should be no fundraisers.... The US defense budget is $715 billion... There's about 50m kids in school. That's $14,300 per student. Imagine what they could do with that.
Maybe if kids were educated they wouldn't make the same mistakes the adults keep making as they actually learned history adequately.
Load More Replies... I had a teacher who would verbally abuse kids. One time he showed us an animated porn thingy. Everyone told the teachers, no one believed us. Until some kids got video proof and he was finally fired.
Being a nerd in school, I didn't friends up until seventh grade so I was really quiet and stumbled over words. The biggest bullies always end up being teachers, I only had a handful that took my anxiety issues seriously and eased me into talking in front of the class. The other teachers would punish kids with issues like me and it's absolutely NOT right. A child, even a teen, should not be punished because they're nervous, scared, have impairments, etc. It makes me wonder if any of those teachers were ever kids and not some kind of robot.
My kid is in kindergarten and we're already dealing with a class bully. I spoke to the teacher and apparently this girl pesters multiple classmates: hitting, scratching, biting, etc. One time she tried to kiss my son. We're in a freaking pandemic! Teach your kid to keep their slobber to themselves. And the response? Every parent got a message from the teacher reminding us that the kids need to keep their hands to themselves. But we all know the reason behind that message. Makes me wonder about the girl's home life.
“One bad apple ruins the whole bunch”/ collective punishment. My elementary school did this and I bet they were hoping we would forget. It was not just no recess it was you must walk these laps for recess/exercise punishment. I brought it up back then but no one will take a 9 year old seriously. They legit said that it was so “The good kids would pressure the bad ones to be better.” Like … that’s called bullying and isn’t that your job? Tbh my high school does this too with our lunches.
Almost all of these examples seem to occur only in the States. I work at a school and we don't have to deal with most of these problems.
They wonder why the obesity rates are so high. And give you 30 minutes for lunch; including the time it takes to walk to the cafeteria and to your next class, and the time taken to stand in line to get your food. Teaching kids to wolf down their meal as quickly as possible will get you overweight adults.
A bunch of these are just reality. Like you need to be prepared for reality.
If you're at a private, paid, or a religious school then some of these things are expected. And no one's forcing you to go.
