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Hugging -

Malcolm Arnold Academy, in Northampton, England, banned hugging and other types of touching. The "no touching" policy is supposed to help teach students to respect their classmates' personal space.

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Backpacks -

Backpacks might be synonymous with school, but some schools in Iowa and Illinois banned them in the classroom. Apparently they occupied too much space. Other schools have listed the risk of school shootings as a reason for the ban.

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Snowball fights -

Snowball fights have been banned in several US and UK schools because of health and safety concerns.

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Tag -

Physical games such as tag are slowly disappearing from school yards. An elementary school went on to ban it, together with other activities deemed too rough for students. "Students were instructed that physical contact including tag games, touch football, etc. were not allowed on the yard," said principal David Frankel.

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Red ink -

No more red pens for marking tests in the UK. The stigma carried by the red ink led some schools to ban it. Some schools in the US have also adopted this, opting for other, less "aggressive" colors.

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Bottled water -

Bottle flipping was a thing back in 2016, so a number of schools decided to ban them. No more water bottle challenges in school!

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Dictionaries -

A school in Murrieta, California, temporarily banned the dictionary from fourth and fifth grade classes, after a parent complained about the book's references to "explicit language."

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Evolution -

Any visual depiction or written reference to evolution was banned after a Missouri high school marching band created a t-shirt saying "Evolution of Brass." Some parents claimed that it supported Darwinism. The school ended up buying all the tees, just to get them out of the school.

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Cartwheels -

A number of schools in both the UK and Australia have banned cartwheels and handstands, for being considered too dangerous.

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Ugg boots -

A Pennsylvania school banned Ugg boots on campus because students were using them to secretly store their cell phones.

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Father's Day cards -

In 2008, Father's Day cards were banned in Scottish schools to avoid embarrassing classmates who live with single mothers and same-sex parents.

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Acronyms and jargon -

A school in South Yorkshire, England, banned students from saying certain words, including "hiya," "cheers," and "lol." This is to encourage the use of proper English.

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Best friends -

Can you imagine school without a BFF? Thomas's London Day Schools deemed these relationships unhealthy and somewhat "too obsessive."

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Skinny jeans -

In 2009, Kimbrough Middle School in Mesquite, Texas, banned skinny jeans because they were not deemed appropriate. 

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Self-defense -

Most US schools have a "zero tolerance" policy for bullying. This means that bullying victims can't defend themselves. Otherwise, they'll also be punished.

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Bathroom stall doors -

In 2012, a Texas high school took these down in attempt to tackle behavioral issues (i.e. drug use).

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Hoodies -

Hoodies were banned in a Kansas school because the pockets could be used to conceal cell phones. Other American schools did so because of safety concerns, and a British school banned hoodies because they can be intimidating and make students hard to identify.

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Braids and bows -

Ramsgate Holy Trinity Primary School in England banned a four-year-old over her hair bow. All because her dad made her a Lady Gaga-style bow for the school picture, which was against the school's strict dress code.

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School bake sales -

New York City's Education Department banned these in an attempt to limit students' consumption of sugar and fat.

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Pokémon cards -

A number of primary schools in the UK have banned Pokémon cards. Among the reasons are the fact that trading cards led to arguments, and that some students might feel left out because they can't afford them.

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'Harry Potter' books -

A Catholic school in Nashville, Tennessee, banned 'Harry Potter' books in 2019 because "the curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text," according to Rev. Dan Reehil.

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Halloween -

A Pennsylvania school banned Halloween in 2013 over some parents' religious fears. Of course, many parents were not happy about it, nor were a lot of the students.

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Flaming Hot Cheetos -

Students were eating so much of these that some US schools banned them altogether. These are also banned in Europe, but because of the ingredients.

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Dodgeball -

Many schools across the US have now banned dodgeball. The reasons include its violent nature and the fact that it might encourage bullying.

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Homemade lunches -

Can you imagine having to use the school's cafeteria all the time? This is exactly what students at Chicago's Little Village Academy had to do in 2011.

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"Mom" and "Dad" -

The words have been deemed potentially offensive, and as a result taken off school documentation in California in 2007. Other schools, such as Grace Church School in New York City, have also been encouraging this.

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Valedictorians -

A North Carolina school banned the practice of having valedictorians because it encouraged unhealthy competition among students.

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The word "MEEP" -

Yes, as in the Muppets character, Beaker. In 2009, the word was actually banned in Danvers High School, in Massachusetts. Why? Because students wouldn't stop saying it to interrupt class.

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Myspace -

This one was way back in 2005, but it would be today's equivalent of students being banned from having any current social media profile. Back then, students at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta Township, New Jersey, were banned from having Myspace or Xanga pages. Supposedly it was to keep them safe from any online predators. 

Sources: (Insider) (List25) (Bright Side)

See also: A brief history of social media

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