While attending a program entitled “Early American Schoolhouses” at the Brick Academy in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, the instructor passed out handouts that discussed rules for students, teachers, and punishments in 1872. Meg Wastie, program coordinator at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts in Madison and a former teacher, presented a great program overview of the museum.
Student Rules – 1872
2026 Student Rules Handbook
Ridge High School’s current 2025–2026 Student & Family Handbook is over 100 pages, far larger than the one-page 1872 rules that inspired your article. It includes policies on attendance, academic integrity, AI use, technology, discipline, student wellness, transportation, athletics, harassment, safety, and much more.
Then vs. Now
The greatest difference between 1872 and 2026 isn’t that students have become more difficult—it is that schools have become responsible for far more than simply teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. Today’s educators must navigate smartphones, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, student privacy, mental health, transportation, social media, and an ever-expanding body of state and federal laws. Despite nearly 150 years of change, however, the most important lesson remains exactly the same: be honest, respect others, come prepared, and do your best. Those timeless expectations would have been just as familiar to a student in 1872 as they are today.
A student walking into Ridge High School in 2026 would find a world almost unimaginable to students of 1872. Instead of a single page of expectations, today’s Student & Family Handbook spans nearly 100 pages and covers everything from artificial intelligence to cyberbullying. While respect and responsibility remain at its core, many rules exist simply because modern technology and society have created challenges that never existed 150 years ago. (Core Docs)
Some of the most significant rules include:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Students may use AI only as directed by their teachers. Using AI to complete assignments without permission is considered academic dishonesty. (Core Docs)
- Academic Integrity: Cheating, plagiarism, copying another student’s work, or unauthorized collaboration can result in disciplinary action and academic penalties. (Core Docs)
- Cell Phones & Electronic Devices: Phones and other personal electronic devices may only be used according to school and classroom rules. Unauthorized use during instruction may result in confiscation or disciplinary action. (Core Docs)
- Attendance Matters: Students are expected to attend every class on time. Excessive absences, tardiness, or leaving campus without permission can affect grades and privileges. (Core Docs)
- Harassment & Bullying: Bullying, cyberbullying, intimidation, discrimination, and harassment are strictly prohibited, whether they occur in school or through electronic communication that impacts the school environment. (Core Docs)
- Social Media Responsibility: Online behavior that disrupts the school environment or threatens other students can lead to school discipline, even if it occurs off campus. (Core Docs)
- Dress Code: Students must dress in a manner that is safe, appropriate, and does not disrupt the educational environment. (Core Docs)
- Weapons, Drugs & Vaping: Possession or use of weapons, illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco products, or vaping devices is prohibited and may result in suspension, expulsion, or referral to law enforcement. (Core Docs)
- Searches & School Property: Lockers, parking areas, and other school property may be searched when permitted under school policy and New Jersey law. (Core Docs)
- Digital Citizenship: Students are expected to use school technology responsibly, protect passwords, respect copyright laws, and avoid misuse of school networks. (Core Docs)
When Would You Prefer to Be a Student?
So, what time period is more strict? 1872, when it was a one-pager, or 2009, with the 40 pages? After thinking about it, I’m not sure. Are these rules attempting to parent our kids? Perhaps it’s because the schools have to mandate common courtesies and proper social behaviors? Or maybe there have been so many problems with litigating religious and constitutional freedoms that the system’s forced to do it—Feel free to post your thoughts.
