You probably are a student who has experienced a teacher taking your stuff. Now you want to know if it is legal or not. It may or may not be legal for a teacher to take your stuff.
Can Teachers Legally Confiscate Things?
We are not lawyers so we can say for sure if a teacher confiscating things is legal or not. However, teachers can legally confiscate things because when you are in school the teachers become like your parents, believe it or not.
Why Do Teachers Take Things From Students?
Teachers take things from students for all kinds of reasons. The main reason teachers take things from students is because they are being distracting to the class. If a student has something that is interrupting the entire class, then the teacher is allowed to confiscate whatever the distraction is.
Some teachers take things out of being mean. I hate to say this but it is true. A child may have something that isn’t distracting at all but the teacher decides to confiscate it anyways.
If a teacher takes something from a child it could be because he or she is having a bad day. Sometimes, teachers will take their anger out on the kids. While this is very unfortunate, it does happen that way.
Teachers take things from students to prevent them from becoming a distraction. Sometimes teachers can already imagine how things are about to go when a certain student brings something to class. For example, if a child brings food or candy it can easily become a distraction because the other kids are going to want some.
So a teacher may take some ahead of time before it becomes a distraction.
What Kind of Things Can A Teacher Take?
A teacher can really take anything that leads to being a distraction. One thing that a teacher can take is food and candy. Students are not supposed to be eating in class and although some teachers do allow it, there are still many teachers that do not allow eating or drinking in their classrooms.
Toys are another thing that teachers can and will take. Students are not supposed to bring toys to school and if they do, the teacher has the right to confiscate these toys because they aren’t meant to be in the classroom in the first place unless you are in pre-school. Toys doesn’t always necessarily mean something you can play with.
Which brings me to our next thing that teachers can take.Teachers can actually take electronics and oftentimes they will take them. This can be a big deal because most students will not want to let go of their electronics.
Electronics are usually a no-no in the classroom because they are so distracting. Kids do everything under the sun on these devices and they see exciting things and pass the devices around through the classroom or they text each other during class.
Does A Teacher Have to Give Back What They Take?
For the most part, teachers do have to return what they take but not necessarily back to the student. If the child was causing a disruption in the class with whatever they had and was doing with the item, they can set up a meeting with the parents before they give the item back. They may give the item to the parents and ask them not to bring it back to school.
There are some teachers who will keep the item for a certain period of time before giving it back. Like they may give a warning at first and then if they have to take it because the student wouldn’t put it up they may keep it for one week before giving it back. It really depends on who the teacher is and how much trouble they have had out of the student and the item they have that has possibly been causing a disruption in class.
Basically, a teacher is supposed to give back what they take but whether or not they will adhere to this unspoken rule is very much determined by the teacher themselves and how serious they take this situation.
What To Do When A Teacher Doesn’t Want To Give Back?
If a teacher refuses to give your items back you can go to the principal and report it. It is likely that the principal can work something out with this situation. They may make the teacher give the item back and tell the student not to bring it back to school or to keep it put up during school hours.
However, it is no guarantee that the principal will do anything. Yes, they have the power to do a lot of things that would end in the teacher having to give the items back but they may not be willing to. This is especially true if they have had trouble out of the student before and the student is known for causing disruptions in class.
Don’t give up and don’t stop there with the principal. If the principal refuses to do anything you can go to other people within the school district such as the school board members, the dean, the superintendent, the vice superintendent. You are definitely not without options when it comes to getting your items back.
What If A Teacher Tries to Use Force to Take Your Items?
A teacher is not allowed to use force with students even if it is to try and take items. If a teacher uses force with you, call your parents and the two or three of you should go to the school board or police on him.
Is It Legal For A Teacher to Take Your Things?
Unfortunately, it is legal for a teacher to take your things. This can suck because you may not want them to take your things but in all actuality they can definitely take it within reason. Especially if it is something that you shouldn’t have.
