The first school expelling me and another boy for fidgeting…yes that’s definitely more strict than the norm…but not by much. And from what I’ve heard from older neighbors…behavioral expectations/discipline at those very same schools…and many others in the NYC area was MORE strict just 1-2 decades before.
Especially considering corporal punishment such as being slapped hard on the palms/knuckles with a hard wooden ruler by the teachers for fidgeting/talking in class used to be the norm back then.
And parents didn’t try to excuse such behavior or defend their child/dren as normal boy behavior". The few who attempted to do so tended to be shut down by the school principals and other parents tended to regard them as “bad parents” making excuses for their child’s bad behavior.