'If you had to leave to go to the bathroom, you couldn't get back in': 20+ pointless school rules that do not age well

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

Jan 4, 2024 4:00 PM EST

Every school has a niche, strange rule that makes absolutely no sense to the outside eye. There is something simultaneously hilarious and horrifying about reflecting on your school experience and why certain regulations were implemented.

For instance, when I was in middle school, I went to an all-boys institution that somehow did not scar me for life (thankfully, I was properly socialized at an all-gender high school in subsequent years). However, my school had this extremely antiquated idea of what it meant to be an upstanding "gentleman." This meant we had to wear a jacket and tie every day. It also meant we had to take etiquette classes, study Latin, and participate in annual public speaking competitions. The ultimate effect of this was, of course, the opposite of the administration's intent. Students would break rules regularly and lash out simply because of how strictly they were enforced.

It seems that the following former students had similar tales to share based on this collection of r/AskReddit responses. For more content like this, check out these stories of employees who broke rules and made mistakes on the job.