The Gap State High School students and parents are in an uproar over uniform policy issues as a growing number of students were given detention for not complying with the rules on wearing the proper uniform, specifically footwear.
Recently, a student, who was suspended for three days, posted a short video on Facebook, which was taken down, showing students getting uniform passes. The uniform passes are issued by the school to students who are not wearing the proper uniform. Another post on The Gap Grapevine showed that 80 students received detention that day, a figure which was later updated to 460 children. It has turned out that 460 is an exaggeration and the Queensland Teachers Union has confirmed that the actual number is 103.
One of the details being discussed is the heel requirement of the students’ shoes, which must be black leather lace up school shoes, with a heel that is not greater than 20 millimetres and not lower than 5 millimetres. The school also released photos of the type of shoes along with a retailer that sells that particular footwear.
Parents have expressed mixed reactions to the uniform policy. In general, the concern expressed by most parents is that their children have “acceptable footwear” from previous years, or some that had just been bought, and many would rather not go through the expense of buying another pair based on the recently released guidelines.
While initially, the school refused to comment, Education Minister Grace Grace said that the school has offered to help families in financial difficulty so they can comply with the shoes rule. “It’s up to the principal with the school community to set the school uniform policy and to implement it and I support them 100%,” Grace said.
Also, an Education Queensland spokesperson said that the uniform policy of the school has been there since 2004. The policy was formulated by the school community and was approved by the Parents and Citizens’ Association and is supported by the P&C and the community of The Gap SHS.
“Student dress codes reflect community standards and balance the rights of individual students with the best interests of the whole school community,” a Department of Education spokesman said.
There will be a P&C meeting on 12 February and parents are advised to attend to voice their concerns regarding the uniform policy.
