r/AITAH•
fluffetti

AITA for yelling at my principal about her unbalanced punishments?

TW SA

I (F, 18) yelled at my principal (F, 40ish?) earlier today about the new phone policy.

For context, my state passed a law (or policy, I honestly don't know anymore) that said students can't use their phones in school. That's fine, I honestly think this is a good rule for the school as someone who is addicted to my phone and social media. My problem with the policy comes in with how unbalanced the punishment is compared to other, more harmful offenses.

The rule is that if you're caught with your phone, earbuds, or actively using (like texting) on a smart watch you'll go through the "Cobra Watch Policy." ( this is what they call their 3-step warning policy for most offenses)

Originally in the last 2 years when someone was caught on their phone in class they would be warned on their first offense, have parents contacted on the second, and on the third you would face your choice of a day in ISS (in school suspension) (7 hours) or 3 days of detention (6 hours total). This was fine, and it worked well enough for a school full of teenagers. What they apparently changed this year was that instead of being given a choice like before, they changed it to a forced total of 21 hours (3 days) of ISS. For a phone.

I'll admit, I often use my phone in class. Not for cheating, just for texting my mom (talking about dismissal, my chronic pain, doctor's appointments, etc) and since my physical disabilities aren't registered with the school, communication with parents or logging my pain when it happens can be really annoying since I can't make a plan that opens that communication for me yet.

Long story short, I got in trouble in my history class for using my phone to log a pain episode. I didn't fight back on it, I just went to the office so I could explain there. In the office the principal asked me what I was there for and I handed her my referral note and she just sighed and told me my punishment. I was personally shocked cause I hadn't heard the policy had changed, and I asked her why it did.

She explained it was because of the state and how no one was happy about it, I asked her where the state said she had to give 3 days of ISS or increase the punishment at all; she brushed me off, and I questioned further. (honestly, at this point I genuinely was just upset and wanted to make her understand that, I just might've been too rude)

I asked her why the punishment was so much higher than what she gave other kids who broke more important rules, she asked what I meant. I brought up a report I made for a kid at my school (my ex) who was SA-ing me and my friends for months before she even called me in to talk about it, and more importantly, I brought up how he only got a day of OSS (out of school suspension). She said that it was different, and that was when I kind of lost it.

I told her that, yes, it WAS different. It was different cause it was a CRIME and she treated it like he just stole a pencil or something despite there being video evidence on school cameras of him being inappropriate. She claimed that that situation had no importance in the current conversation, I shot her down. I explained that it had so much importance considering the unbalanced punishments she's giving out and how it's completely unfair.

She shot the conversation down and doubled my ISS time (3 days → 6 days (42 hours)) for "responsive and displayed disobedience towards an authority figure," which honestly doesn't matter to me. I do better in quiet, isolated rooms anyways so I've always preferred ISS to normal classes. What annoys me is the policy in general, and thinking about it now, I don't remember getting the chance to explain why I was on my phone, which sucks.

(Sorry if this reads poorly, I just got home from school and I'm exhausted </3 if anything needs clarification, let me know!!)

Posted Aug 13, 2025, 11:35 PM UTC

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