School Sends 70 Female Students Home for Too-Short Skirts
Chloe Hirst, 16, was sent home from school for her “inappropriate uniform.” (Photo: SWNS)
A school sent home multiple young girls due to the length of their skirts. Why? Administrators were concerned that the short hemlines would encourage “boys to peer up them.”
Reportedly 70 female students were sent home from Lord Grey secondary school in England after being informed that their skirt lengths — regulations call for knee-length pieces — didn’t pass the uniform test on the first day of term. Included in this group were some pupils whose pants were deemed too tight.
Chloe Hirst, a junior, spoke out against the decision, taking particular offense to the comments that her outfit was “inappropriate” and calling out officials for the discriminatory decision. She explained, “The boys never get any hassle; [administrators] are so sexist about it. I feel like it is disgusting how they ask women to dress modestly. They never used to be strict on skirts, but now it is ridiculous. … [They] are always moaning that we are not doing enough work, yet they send us home for our uniform.”
Related: Why Australian School Girls Are Taking a Stand Over the Length of Their Skirts
Her father, Jay Hirst, added, “I can’t see what the problem is. She’s been wearing the same skirt for months, and they pull her up now. I can understand if a girl goes with a short, short skirt, then maybe, but this was ridiculous.”
Apparently it’s a girl’s fault if a boy peers up her skirt. (Photo: SWNS)
However, head teacher Tracey Jones stands by her decision, insisting that the pupils were given ample notice to prepare for the uniform check — though it’s her comments about the female students’ sexuality and her “boys will be boys” attitude that has stirred controversy. “We are protecting our female students,” Jones said. “They should look demure and modest and not appear oversexualized in figure-hugging trousers or very short skirts.” She noted that the school has a tower with six flights of stairs that the students climb on a daily basis. “The last thing we want is boys peering up girls’ skirts while they are climbing the stairs.”
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Following complaints from parents regarding students being sent home to empty houses before their parents were warned, the school has reportedly started placing those who do not comply with the dress code into isolation instead.
