Beijing
A boarding school in China punished a teenage boy for using the bathroom 15 minutes after the curfew time. The news has created a stir, with the local education authority reprimanding the school for doing so.
The incident happened at Yundong Secondary School, where a Form Three student went to the bathroom at 11 pm. The curfew time is 10:45 pm, after which the students are discouraged from using the toilet. However, in case one still needs to, they should first get permission for the same.
Beijing News reported that the school asked the teenage boy to write a "deep self-reflection" letter as punishment, of which he was to later distribute 1,000 photocopies to his schoolmates. Five points were also deducted from his class’s monthly discipline score.
Talking about the rule, a teacher anonymously told the outlet that the school does not allow students to leave their dormitory after 10:45 pm, including not availing the toilet facilities. They further informed that they need to get the dorm administrators' permission if they need to leave due to anything.
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"I have seriously breached the school rules, and going to the toilet in the evening not only disturbed other students’ sleep but also brought shame to my class," the boy wrote in his essay.
He promised not to "repeat this behaviour in the future" and also apologised to his classmates and the school.
As the news of the strange punishment spread, the Education Department of Huairen took note and issued a response.
"We instructed the school to learn from this incident and reflect on its errors. We told them to revise their discipline policies,” the education authority stated.
The school was also asked to reimburse him the amount he spent on making the photocopies, 100 yuan (US$14), to cover the costs of copying the self-reflection essay. It has further been instructed to implement "reasonable and humane" discipline policies and engage with the boy "in a caring manner".