Outrage as school kids put in detention for wearing the wrong school shoes
Most schools have a pretty strict policy when it comes to uniforms – particularly school shoes – but students and parents from one Queensland high school say it’s been taken too far.
The Gap State High School in Brisbane threatened its students with detention if they failed to wear one of only four styles of shoe as outlined in the school planner for 2018.
According to the planner, pupils “are required to wear black leather lace up school shoes, which have a heel no greater than 20mm no lower than 5mm.”
“The shoes must protect the upper side of the student’s foot and have a leather upper. Slip-on, Mary-Jane, slipper style, Vans or Dr Marten style boots/shoes are NOT accepted. Proper arch support is required.”
But it wasn’t an idle threat. There have been reports that 460 students have been sent to detention since going back to school this year for wearing the wrong footwear (though the school claims that number was actually 103), and students are furious.
One posted a video to Facebook of hundreds of students (including himself) looking for their uniform passes, writing that it had caused him to miss 45 minutes of class.
“I’m very unimpressed by the new school policy, this morning I was waiting from 8:50 till after 9:45. This is incredible for our learning here missing classes just waiting for a uniform pass.”
The video has since been removed and the student reportedly suspended for three days for, he claims, “trying to alert the public about this”.
Greens councillor for The Gabba in Brisbane voiced his support for the students on Facebook, writing, “I think formal uniforms and strict dress codes unnecessarily repress people’s ability to freely express themselves.
“If people choose to wear a uniform, or it’s something that protects you in a specific job environment, that’s another matter, but in general I think we ascribe too much status and importance to being ‘smartly dressed’. Long thick trousers and heavy shoes do not make sense in an Australian summer.”
Karen Bishop said her Year 11 daughter had been pulled from class, given detention and told to buy new school shoes. After speaking with the deputy principal, Bishop said the school even offered to buy her a new pair.
“He said they’ve already bought pairs of shoes for other kids. This is the first time I’ve heard of this happening," Bishop shared.
Tell us in the comments below, do you think the school uniform rules are too strict?