At my high school, teachers always said that there's a biological hazard in the lab (they used the same lab for chemistry, physics, and biology), hence no laboratory class/experience. But that exact lab/room was available and used for teaching classes such as math, history, etc.
AHEM. Ackshually petri-dishes are mostly made of plastic these days and discarded with the rest of the biohazardous waste... At least in microbiology labs.
Yes and subject my hands to the harshness of not just soap solution but also acetone, sometimes pet ether or even chloroform, not once, not twice, but several times in a day, every day.
My previous coworker (I could write a book on the shitty lab practices she exhibited on a daily basis) would shake out the glassware and hang it to dry. She didn't understand that I could actually see the discoloration from previous tests. My bosses gave no shits, I did extra dishes, I gtfo at first opportunity.