SPOT checks have always been a nerve-racking moment during school days — whether or not you’re actually hiding something.
A post on Threads by @layan.jeee recently went viral after showing a secondary school teacher carrying out spot checks outdoors — specifically on students’ motorbikes.
As students come up with increasingly clever ways to hide prohibited items like smartphones and e-cigarettes, discipline teachers are stepping up their game with a more investigative approach.
The video shows a woman, believed to be the school’s discipline teacher, instructing students to open their bike seats and reveal the under-seat storage compartments.
During the inspection, she discovers a smartphone — but rather than confiscating it, she returns it to the storage space, noting that the bikes are parked outside the school compound.
The incident has since sparked a wave of mixed reactions online. Some netizens questioned the teacher’s authority to carry out checks on vehicles parked outside school grounds.
Addressing the backlash, user @nrr.fhyz88 clarified that the teacher was not searching for phones but rather looking to seize cigarettes.
“Let the teacher do spot checks like JPJ or the police — if your kid is one of the stubborn ones, then they deserve it.
“The teacher should have gathered them on the side and called them one by one to their bikes, not have everyone crowded around. Of course, that gave them time to hide the cigarettes somewhere else,” she commented.
Others came to the teacher’s defence, pointing out the importance of ensuring students aren’t bringing in dangerous or illegal items.
“It’s okay to check the motorbikes... just in case they’re carrying drugs or ketum. But phones shouldn’t be a big deal — from what I saw, the teacher just put them back anyway,” one user noted.
In response to criticism from smokers who were seemingly triggered by the checks, another user remarked: “Cigarettes are clearly harmful, but when the teacher tries to be concerned, you criticise instead.”
Whether applauded or criticised, the teacher’s firm approach has reignited discussions around student discipline, boundaries of school authority, and how far is too far when it comes to spot checks.
