A Sydney high school has drawn the ire of enraged parents after excluding up to 70 kids from attending their Year 10 graduation because they wore false nails.
The students from Mackellar Girls Campus on the northern beaches were housed in a separate room and prohibited from visiting the graduation’s main hall.
Sarah*, the mother of an expelled student, told news.com.au that many parents had taken Monday off to attend the 9:15 a.m. assembly.
Sarah stated, “No one knew where they were, and the assembly began an hour later because the girls were punished for their nails.”
Many parents were forced to leave the event because they had to return to work.
On Thursday, just four days prior to the commencement event, a significant number of Year 10 students had their nails done for the formal.
As photographs of the nails were posted to Facebook, Sarah stated that they were neutral and “barely offensive.”
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The bulk of the girls, according to Sarah, were attending another formal the day after their graduation, thus it made no sense for them to remove their false nails.
At least recognize them
Eventually, some pupils, including Sarah’s daughter Chrissy*, were allowed back into the auditorium, but they were instructed to remain in the back of the room and their names were not announced. Sarah stated that being a mom was the “most difficult thing” for her.
They acted as if these girls did not exist. Sarah remarked, “At least recognize their existence.”
She concludes that the decision was not fair.
She stated that the nails were not that offensive.
She also questioned why certain teachers were permitted to wear bright red nails while the pupils’ short, natural-colored acrylics were criticized.
The Mackellar Girls Campus is located in the Manly Vale area of Sydney’s northern beaches.
She continued, “I believe there is a tiny double standard here.”
“This has been their life for the past four years, throughout Covid and lockdown. I acknowledge that rules are rules, but this behavior is unacceptable.
It is bullying, a type of intimidation, and social exclusion of these girls, which is unacceptable in this day and age.
Despite cutting her artificial nails and gaining approval from two teachers, a further Year 10 student was prohibited from attending the ceremony.
Her mother Lily* told news.com.au, “Every child deserves the opportunity to graduate, regardless of whether or not they are wearing nail polish.”
She continued, “The school administration is so out of touch, and this behavior has persisted for years.”
“It was as if they had never existed after four years of schooling,” she added.
“There were so many parents who took time off from work to attend, just to sit in the crowd and not only not see their daughters receive their prizes, but also not have their names acknowledged.” Absolutely abhorrent behavior for a government-funded and -operated local school.”
The tale, which was initially published on the Manly Observer’s social media page on Instagram, garnered considerable attention from outraged parents.
Inaccurate figures: Department response
David Hope, president of the Northern Sydney District Council of P&C Associations, deems the school’s actions “totally unreasonable.”
He informed news.com.au that the District Council would call the school P&C and raise the issue with the Department of Education and the Education Minister.
“As far as we’re concerned, the school and the Department lack the authority to expel those pupils for having long fingernails.”
The NSW Department of Education and an NBSC Mackellar Girls Campus representative asserted that the stated numbers were “inaccurate.” The data suggest that 57 people were absent from the assembly.
A Department representative supported the school’s decision to expel the children.
“We appreciate that some students and parents are upset by the school’s decision, but from the beginning of the school year, all Mackellar Girls students and parents have received written and verbal guidance on the expectations of uniform and behavior,” they added.
This includes specific advice to students and parents that acrylic nails are not permitted at school, especially for the 10th grade ceremony.
The spokeswoman claimed that just 20 of the school’s 239 Year 10 pupils did not collect their portfolios on stage because of their acrylic nails, but they were there for the assembly.
However, Chrissy believes that the figure of 70 students is realistic. She reports that approximately 50 girls were detained in her classroom, in addition to another room of females who were not permitted to attend the meeting.
“The teachers even stated that they disagreed with what the students were doing but were powerless to stop it,” she continued.
Although Sarah’s daughter will not be attending NBSC Mackellar Girls Campus in 2023, she says she is speaking out because she does not want future kids to be treated similarly.
“The manner in which those girls were treated is unacceptable to me. “The year is 2022,” she stated.
“I really don’t want girls to experience this in the future.”
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