group of about 20 Long Bay College students and parents have gathered in protest amid a stoush over uniform compliance. Photo / Chereè Kinnear
group of about 20 Long Bay College students and parents have gathered in protest amid a stoush over uniform compliance. Photo / Chereè Kinnear
A group of about 20 Long Bay College students and parents have gathered in protest amid a stoush over uniform compliance.
Parents of female students at the North Shore school have laid complaints with the Board of Trustees after some students said they felt humiliated after being told to prove their skirts weren’t rolled at the waistband to shorten them.
Principal CJ Healy and a number of the school’s deans have been pacing up and down opposite the protest.
Healy was seen stopping traffic to walk a large group of students across the main road to avoid the protest. He’s not interacted with the students protesting.
A group of about 20 Long Bay College students and parents have gathered in protest amid a stoush over uniform compliance. Photo / Chereè Kinnear
One parent told the Herald: “It’s interesting the principal and all the deans are out. He said he supports the children’s right to have a voice but it feels a lot like they’re trying to intimidate those protesting.”
There was a meeting yesterday afternoon between the principal, a group of parents and the two male deans.
Healy told the Herald in a statement he was “proud of his students” and that the school respected their right to “voice their opinions about topics that matter to them.”
“We remain very happy to continue to engage with our students so that they can share their perspectives with us,” he said.
”Along with hearing the views of our students this morning, we were also very mindful of the need to ensure everyone’s safety at a busy time of the school day.
A group of about 20 Long Bay College students and parents have gathered in protest amid a stoush over uniform compliance. Photo / Chereè Kinnear
Claims of uniform sexist rules
In November, the school held an assembly to address uniform compliance and students claimed it included “sexist treatment”.
Several female students approached the Herald with complaints of unfair treatment around compliance with the uniform, including allegations of having to show the tops of their skirts to teachers and missing out on schooling for make-up and jewellery-related infractions.
The mum of one of the students, who wished to remain anonymous, said she understood the school has rules, but was concerned how far the school was going to keep students in compliance.
“They were told to lift their shirts up [to show their midriff] so they could see if [the skirts] were rolled and then they were told to turn around in front of the teachers to check whether or not it looked okay.”
Healey adamantly denied the girls were asked to lift their shirts to prove their compliance.
“Three girls were asked by female members of staff if they were happy to show that their skirts were not rolled at the waist, two then unrolled them and one declined, which was respected. No girls were made to lift shirts,” Healey said.
Long Bay College principal CJ Healey has adamantly denied all the allegations by students.
Healey said girls did have their jewellery confiscated, but parents are able to collect it at any time, and students are able to retrieve it at the end of the week.
“A staff member mistakenly asked a student to remove her taonga or do up a button to conceal it. No taonga was confiscated and the student continued to wear it,” Healey claimed.
“As this is an important inclusion in our uniform policy, we will remind staff that the wearing of taonga is permitted.”
A student protest is scheduled for next Wednesday, where the female students intend to protest what they are calling “sexist rules”.
A spokesperson from the Human Rights Commission said schools need to tread carefully when monitoring uniform rules.
“They need to make sure that any rule about skirt length is clear and can be addressed without being invasive or embarrassing students.”
The spokesperson told the Herald that school boards must meet in any decisions and actions regarding school uniform policies. This includes an obligation to uphold students’ right to enjoy and express their cultural and religious identity.
“In practice, Māori students should be able to wear items that are taonga to them. This can include tā moko, pounamu or hei tiki,” the spokesperson said.
Isabel Evans, leader for the North sector of the Ministry of Education, asked that any parents or students concerned with the enforcement of the uniform rules should raise these with the school board.
