School bans vary from state to state. Of course, most are set in place to keep students (and school staff) safe. Others are a little questionable, like the banning of students wearing certain kinds of pants. In 2014, a North Dakota high school rolled out a revamped dress code that prohibited students from wearing skinny jeans, yoga pants, and leggings. According to the assistant principal, it was because they were deemed distracting for other students and teachers, Fox 8 reported.
There aren’t just restrictions on clothing at school, but also on food, most of which are for allergy reasons. For example, peanuts are the cause for the most common severe food-related allergic reactions, according to a 2003 study. Some people might even have a reaction when coming into contact with trace amounts of peanuts. Since peanut allergies commonly develop when people are younger, and reactions can be severe, it makes sense that many schools are cautious of them. But as for other foods? Not so much. Here are some food you wouldn’t expect to be banned from schools.
Triangle-Shaped Flapjacks
Now, why would a school possibly need to ban flapjacks, let alone triangle-shaped ones?
It turns out that in 2013, students at Castle View School in Canvey Island, Essex, in England were throwing them at each other and one student got hurt, BBC reported. Because of the injury, the cafeteria staff was told to only serve square or rectangular flapjacks. We’re not exactly sure how that’s less dangerous, since squares and rectangles have four points instead of three, but we digress.
Toxic Waste Candy
U.S. candy companies had to stop selling them. Yikes.
Given the name, it’s kind of no surprise that Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge Chew Bars weren’t considered the greatest things for you to eat. According to CBS News, the Food and Drug Administration deemed the candy unsafe to eat due to lead contamination. That being said, not only were kids warned, but everyone else in the United States was too.
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos have become one of the most iconic snacks on the market.
In 2017, there was an entire museum dedicated to them and now, they even have a fashion line in partnership with Forever 21. The hype is alive and well, but can be traced all the way back to 2012, especially among students in California, Mexico, and Illinois. They were so popular that students were eating them daily — even for breakfast — to the point where schools were concerned about the lack of its nutritional value, according to the Huffington Post.
To limit the consumption of the cheesy snack, schools confiscated them. One teacher even sent students home with notes asking for the flamin’ hot snacks to be eaten at home, not in school.
Pepsi Merchandise
Nowadays, sodas have been banned across schools in the United States to cut down the number of sugary beverages kids drink.
But in 1998, they were free game on school grounds. In fact, one school took soda so seriously that a student was suspended over it. In Georgia (where Coca-Cola is headquartered), there was a whole day at school where kids would learn all about the soda called Coke, on Education Day, the New York Times reported. As part of Coca-Cola appreciation day, students had to dress in red and white, get in formation to spell out “Coke,” and take a photo of it for a cash-prize contest.
In one of the photos, student Mike Cameron wore a Pepsi shirt as a joke that got him sent to the principal’s office and suspended from school for a day. According to school officials, the prank was seen as an insult to Coca-Cola executives who traveled to the school for the contest.
Kombucha
You can find this trendy wellness drink at Whole Foods, but you won’t find it at any school in the Arlington Public School District.
Although the drink is known for its health benefits, unpasteurized Kombucha was banned after a teacher found a child with a kombucha bottle that had alcohol listed as one of its ingredients. (According to Bon Appetit, kombucha does contain a small amount of alcohol, but not enough to get you buzzed.) And it didn’t end there, since health-conscious parents fought back, trying to reverse the policy.
Bottled Water
But not for the reason you might think.
As cool as it would be, bottled water wasn’t banned at school for single-use plastic reasons, but because of what students were doing with them. In 2016, flipping half-filled water bottles became all the rage among middle schoolers who would flip them in an attempt to get them to land upright. One school banned the act of bottle flipping, and two banned plastic water bottles in general because the trend was considered disruptive, according to Business Insider.
Nut Butter Alternatives
Many schools in Canada took a stance against not only peanut butter, but also tree nut and peanut-free alternatives.
According to CBC, parents were asked to stop using the alternative spreads because they looked and smelled too similar to the real thing. They argued that it was difficult for teachers who monitored students’ lunches to differentiate between actual peanut butter and alternatives. This is especially important if a student has a known allergy to certain nuts.
Ketchup
In 2011, the French government placed a ban on ketchup at school and college cafeterias to help students make healthier choices.
The exception to the ban was that the condiment could only be served with French fries, which were only offered once a week. In addition to limiting ketchup consumption, schools also cut down on other fatty foods and introduced more vegetables, fruits, and dairy products, the Los Angeles Times reported. Honestly, this sounds like a smart decision.
Biscuits
Biscuits seem like a harmless breakfast, but according to one headmistress in the U.K., bringing them to school is grounds to have them confiscated.
According to The Daily Mail, headmistress Sylvia Trafford of Catton First And Nursery School in Norwich enforces a mid-morning snack of either a piece of fruit or raw vegetables. One day, a student brought in biscuits for his snack that ended up getting taken away. This ultimately led to a heated debate between parents and the school on strict healthy eating policies at schools vs. what parents think is best for their children.
Bake sales
Bake sales are a tried-and-true fundraising tactic at many schools across the United States to collect money for everything from school trips to new sports equipment.
However, a rule at New York public schools limits the amount of bake sales schools can have to once a month or on weekday evenings in an effort to reduce obesity rates, the New York Times reported. Instead of bake sales, the New York Department of Education suggested raising money through selling apparel, school supplies, or group exercise. Not as fun, but probably a healthy idea…
Meat
In 2015, MUSE school in California stripped meat from its lunch menus and started to serve only plant-based food.
The private school, which became the first in the U.S. to serve vegetarian-friendly food options, took the leap not necessarily for health reasons, but to be more environmentally sustainable, The Guardian reported. However, the switch wasn’t easy, as many students were withdrawn from the school by outraged parents. There really is a fine line between what a school wants for its students and what parents want for their children.
Coffee
For kids, having coffee banned at school might not be the worst thing.
What is shocking is having a coffee ban that carries over to the school staff. In 2018, South Korea announced a new law that prohibits the sale of coffee at schools, including for teachers, CNN reported. This is because the school wants to promote healthy eating and drinking habits amongst its students. Fortunately, under-caffeinated adults can simply purchase coffee off school grounds.
Chocolate Milk
In 2017, San Francisco schools officially kicked chocolate milk out of cafeterias.
In response to the ban, there was little negative feedback from students and many simply switched to regular milk, the Huffington Post reported. According to supporters, the ban cuts up to 40 calories and 10 grams of sugar for students, while also teaching them about how a healthy meal or drink replacement can make a significant difference.
Chocolate
In addition to raising money through bake sales, many schools would allow children to raise money by selling chocolate bars.
But it might be difficult to fundraise using something that’s banned at schools. In 2006, schools in the U.K. banned the selling of chocolate bars (along with potato chips and sugary drinks) in vending machines, in order to help fight the obesity crisis, The Telegraph reported. Though it’s sad not to have chocolate on hand at school, it is important that we all learn healthy habits — especially when it comes to diet and exercise.
Homemade lunches
Not only can school lunches be expensive, but students might also not be a fan of the cafeteria options.
So naturally, why not bring a homemade meal to school? At one school in Chicago, packed lunches are no longer an option. In 2011, a public school banned homemade lunches after seeing a shift in food that was once healthy to students bringing in cans of soda and bags of chips, NPR reported. We imagine that parents must have felt weird about this change.
