Even in my secondary (not) school, the only time I regularly saw massive issues between certain teachers and older (3rd/4th form) kids was over smoking.
In yank middle schools, male scumbags used the rule against chewing gum to get their paddle across the bottom of girls- and this in the playground, NOT the classroom. In my primary school, at times, the equivalent was dropping litter in the playground (head has a special assembly about it and for a day or so people care), tho the male pervert there did not like being away from the boozer or staff room – helpers (female) were used for playground duty, not the stroppy unionised teachers. Which was lucky for us kids.