Dozens of British schoolboys went to class wearing girls’ uniform skirts Thursday in protest of the school’s refusal to relax the dress code that bans shorts.
The boys at Isca Academy in Exeter argued that it was too hot for pants amidst the heat wave currently sweeping Britain. The boys borrowed uniform skirts from friends and sisters, according to British news site Devonlive.com.
“We’re not allowed to wear shorts, and I’m not sitting in trousers all day — it’s a bit hot,” one of the boys told BBC News. The Isca Academy dress code does not permit shorts, except during PE class.
The boys were not punished for sporting skirts because uniform skirts are in the dress code, but they were warned against it. “My son wanted to wear shorts but was told he would be put in the isolation room for the rest of the week,” an unnamed mother told Devonlive. “One of the five boys did get in trouble — because it was too short.” The mother said that the head teacher sarcastically told the boys they could always wear skirts, and the boys took her literally and did just that.
Another boy was reportedly told to change because his legs were too hairy, according to the Washington Post. The boys bought razors in response. They are fighting “injustice,” a mother told Devonlive. “The boys see the women teachers in sandals and nice cool skirts and tops while they are wearing long trousers and shoes and the older boys have to wear blazers. They just think it’s unfair that they can’t wear shorts in this heat.”
“They are doing this to cool down, but also to protest because they don’t feel they have been listened to,” she added.
“We recognize that the last few days have been exceptionally hot and we are doing our utmost to enable both students and staff to remain as comfortable as possible,” Isca Academy Headteacher Aimee Mitchell said in a statement on the school’s website. The statement noted that students can remove neckties and undo top buttons on shirts, but that shorts are not permitted.
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