My children's public schools have several rules that just feel like the goal is to make them obedient workers. One kid is in 3rd grade in a gifted program where if you get “three strikes” for tardies and then you are sent out of the gifted program permanently on your third strike. The only acceptable excuses are personal illness in the student or doctor appointments for the student. She's been late twice now, once was literally 30 seconds, and both times were my fault associated with me being sick. The school doesn't care – unexcused. So now I have to wake up my 8 year old now an extra half hour early, at 5:15am, to make sure there's no chance she's late again. My other child is in kindergarten at a different school and they straight up send kids home if they are out of uniform (e.g., have the wrong color socks on, have a shirt without a collar). I realize we can't have kids being so disruptive that school becomes impossible, but I also can't help but feel this is also designed to train them to be unempowered workers.