Are our school rules fair and reasonable? Are they equally applied to all the people in the school?

Rules are essential when it comes to creating and organizing society. Without rules, the community can't exist in order. There are rules that the people are expected to respect and follow, starting with small communities like families and schools to big communities like the countries and world.

As the rules play a huge role in the community, creating them is very complicated. It requires consideration of morality, discussion of people with different thoughts, and exploration of various perspectives of people based on their beliefs, position, and situation. Even after these sophisticated processes, sometimes debates get created over the fairness and justice of the rules among people, which is created by people's different values.

Recently, a similar debate has been happening in the Korea International School Jeju community. Students in KISJ complain about some of the school rules based on people who have different perspectives and thoughts.

The students find some rules that seem unfair and unreasonable. There are three school rules that the students are mostly arguing about. To begin with, students mostly argue about the rule over elevator usage. In KISJ, there are a total of two elevators: one next to the admission office and one next to the gym. While teachers are allowed to use the elevator anytime whenever they want, the students are not allowed to use it, except when injured.

"Some teachers still do take the elevator while students are not never able to unless they are injured." Minseo Jang from 12th grade expressed her concern over the elevator usage issue.

Then, there is a restriction over bringing food upstairs, which is created to keep our school clean. Just like the rule over elevator usage, this rule is also applied to the students in the school. The students are only allowed to bring and eat food in the cafeteria, which is on the 1st floor.

Lastly, there is a strict uniform policy. Students argue that such rules in the school only strictly apply to the students, not the teachers and faculty. While there is a firm definition of 'appropriate uniform', there isn't when it comes to teachers' uniforms.

Basically, the students in the school strongly believe that the school rules are supposed to equally apply to every person who is in the school zone and think that school rules aren't. They argue that while adults in the school are allowed to use the elevator, bring food upstairs, and wear clothes under a flexible definition of 'uniform,' the school rules set up more limitations and restrictions on the students.

"Because the rules are meant for everyone in the school to follow." Minseo Jang again confirmed her definition of rules on behalf of the students.

On the other hand, the school is in a position where they support and defend the rules. They think that the rules are essential to keep the school safe and prepare the students from being responsible and successful adults in the future. Ms. O'Bryon, who stands for the school side, stated why the rules were created in such a way. "In general the school rules are here for health and safety and to develop responsible habits."

Furthermore, the school argues that the administration does not just create the rules. While creating rules within the school, many different people in different positions get engaged to explore various perspectives and find the best one. For example, every month, the school holds conferences and invites students, parents, and administration to go through the problems of the school and discuss possible solutions that can be implemented. Like this, the school rules are created after passing people with different perspectives and thoughts.

"The goal is now to say that you are doing it wrong, but it is to say here let's practice doing things that will help you to be successful." Ms. O'Bryon ended the interview by stating her position firmly over the ongoing issue.

It is an unchangeable fact that all issues have two sides. And the debate over the fairness of school rules that the KISJ students and school are having is not an exception. Some of the school rules might seem unreasonable to keep and follow from a student's perspective. On the other hand, from a school perspective, the rules that the students argue about are essential to creating protection and order within the school. To find the midpoint between the students and school, the school should explain the purposes and reasons for the school rules, especially those that students argue about, and state the rules more clearly to prevent creating misunderstanding.