Girls must see counsellor to wear shorts to school

Girls who want to wear pants or shorts at a Southland high school have to see a guidance counsellor first.

James Hargest College in Invercargill is updating its uniform, but in the meantime, girls who want to wear unisex pants or shorts must have it cleared by their parents. To do that, they are required to visit a counsellor.

Principal Andy Wood said the talk with a guidance counsellor first was to make sure the girls had ‘‘thought through the possible reactions of other kids’’ if they wore the pants or shorts. He did not expand on what those reactions might be.

Wood and board of trustees chairman Chris O’Connor did not answer Stuff’s questions about whether a guidance counsellor visit was necessary, if students would be asked about their sexuality, or if visiting a guidance counsellor was an attempt to pressure students to not wear a different uniform.

Wood said the school, which has a roll of about 1870, was updating its uniform to have an option of shorts and pants designed for girls, after it received increasing feedback in 2018 that girls would like the option.

Students at the school cross-dressed during the last week of the 2019 school year, but Wood did not respond to questions about whether they might have been reprimanded.

Ministry of Education enablement and support deputy secretary Katrina Casey said school boards were free to make school rules on a wide range of matters including uniforms. If parents had any concerns about a particular school’s requirements, they should formally raise those with the board.