Mobile phone use during class has been banned in many schools for distracting students and teachers alike. Another distraction is consuming food and drinks during class hours.

Beaver River Central School (BRCS) in Lewis County, New York, had banned the practice, but 17-year-old senior student Julie Kaputa challenged the new rule by bringing coffee to class on the first day of the school year on 3 September, People reported.

Kaputa actually learned about the ban in advance from a school board member. However, when she looked on the BRCS website for the posted minutes of the 10 August board meeting that approved the new regulation, she didn’t see the notice, which violated the open meeting laws intended to promote government transparency.

When the teacher sent Kaputa to the principal’s office for bringing coffee to class, she told him the new school policy was flawed for lacking proper public consultation.

Kaputa was sent back to class, and BRCS officials held a public hearing on the drinks ban, leading to the revision of the controversial policy. The revised rule allows students to bring coffee to class if the teacher allows it, according to People.

Meanwhile, a secondary school in southern China faced backlash from parents for a bizarre new policy intended to instill discipline among its students.

Ruyuan County High School in Guangdong restricted students’ emergency use of the toilet during class to only once per term, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

Under the new regulation, a second use of the toilet would result in the student’s parents being summoned to the school, and a third offense would result in an unspecified punishment for the student.

The toilet break quota was exposed through a photo taken by a teacher during an internal management meeting in late August, as reported by the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, according to SCMP.

A school official denied the new policy, calling it a rumor. A local education authority is investigating after receiving complaints, SCMP reported.