London: In a bizarre incident, a group of teenage boys in the UK went to school wearing skirts to protest a uniform policy after they were reprimanded for donning shorts on a sweltering hot day.
Four boys at the Longhill High School, in Brighton, East Sussex, wore skirts to school in protest after they were pulled up for wearing shorts.
The 14-year-old pupils were punished for wearing shorts in a bid to keep cool on the hottest day of the year. In protest, the students decided to borrow from the girls official uniform, The Mirror reported.
Michael Parker, Kodi Ayling, George Boyland and Jesse Stringer were allowed to wear the pleated skirts as they are within the schools rules.
They donned the skirts in protest of the schools decision to punish boys who wore school-issued shorts rather than trousers last Tuesday.
On Tuesday — the hottest day of the year — around 20 boys wore Longhill-branded gym shorts.
They were all punished by the secondary school as they were not wearing “regulation uniform”.
Some of the students were sent home and others were kept in isolation and excluded the following day.
“Its not fair for boys to be roasting in black trousers on the hottest day of the year while the girls can wear skirts,” Parker was quoted as saying.
His mother Angela, said, “Were fully in support of the boys. I think what the headmistress is doing is discrimination and Im extremely proud of Michael and his fellow protesters.”
Wesley Allen, Kodis dad, said the schools decision to punish the boys for wearing shorts was “madness”.
“The shorts he had on have the school logo on them and I think should be allowed to wear them on hot days,” he said.
“I think its madness. The boys have done this to prove a point and I think its brilliant. I dont think Kodi will wear the skirt all summer but I do think he likes the attention,” Allen said.
Head teacher Kate Williams said, “I have high standards regarding uniform and in the warm weather, these high standards have been challenged by approximately two per cent of parents/students.”
“Four male students at Longhill High School chose to wear a skirt to school. Students can choose to wear any part of the agreed school uniform,” she said. PTI