Latest news with #sexist
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Shorts ban hits boiling point: Pupils stage protest outside secondary school over 'disgusting' short trouser ruling
Furious pupils have staged a protest at their secondary school after a 'sexist' and 'disgusting' rule banned them from wearing shorts during this year's third heatwave. Children at Outwood Academy City, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, have been blocked from slipping into the garments. Teachers allegedly turned boys away from the school gates or gave them detention for wearing shorts - despite temperatures sky rocking to around 30C. Meanwhile, girls are reportedly allowed to wear skirts, prompting accusations of 'one rule for one group and one rule for the other'. The move has now prompted temperatures to boil over, with parents and pupils picketing outside the secondary today. A group of 10 boys and five girls rallied in defiance of the 'ban', armed with signs saying 'Free the Legs', 'Give Shorts a Chance', and 'Wearing Shorts Matters'. Mother Sara Compson, whose 14-year-old son Derion goes to the school, said she was 'disgusted' by the rules. Her teenager has Type 1 diabetes - and the hot weather has been making managing the condition even more difficult. 'When they first started in Year 7, they used to allow them to wear PE kits on hot days, but once this Principal started it stopped,' Ms Compson said. 'When I sent Derion in one of the days he was saying he was too hot, he was literally dripping in sweat - his blood sugar levels were dropping. I've refused to send him any other day it's been hot.' She added: 'There's no air con, mixing that with 30 other students' body temperature, it's all going to add in to it.' At the protest outside the school, Derion - who was wearing shorts - said: 'It's quite hard for me with my medical condition having diabetes. 'When I'm at school it's quite warm and I'm wearing quite a lot of layers. I tend to sweat which makes my blood sugars drop dramatically, and it's quite bad because half the time I'm sat there with no energy, and teachers are yelling at me for having no energy and not engaging with the work. 'It's hard to concentrate because of the heat.' Another outraged mother at the protest, who asked not to be named, said her autistic child becomes frustrated during the hot weather. 'When he comes out he's kicking off and getting frustrated because he's all hot and sweaty, his shirt's clung to his back because it's been wet from sweat all day,' she said. 'He gets upset and frustrated and takes it out on me at home, or when I pick him up in the car he kicks off, and he turns around and says he doesn't want to go to school - it's a struggle to get him to school. 'If girls can go in with skirts on without tights, why can't boys go in with shorts? It's a bit sexist isn't it? It can't be one rule for one and then one rule for other.' According to Department for Education hot weather guidance, schools 'could consider relaxing uniform rules during hot weather to make sure pupils are comfortable' and children should 'wear loose, light-coloured clothing to help keep cool'. Education consultant Matthew Smith said he thought the school could be breaching the guidance by only allowing dark-coloured trousers. He said: 'The guidance does not say anything about not letting schools ban shorts,' Smith said. 'In other words, the boys concerned in the article could wear shorts and not be in breach of DfE guidance.' An Outwood Grange Academies Trust spokesman said: 'All of our academies operate in line with DfE hot weather guidance, with principals making decisions as appropriate for their respective schools.' When asked if the academy had a specific response to the protesters, the spokesperson refused to comment further.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Ray Chung's 'vile' email condemned across the political spectrum
Ray Chung emailed Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau to apologise this afternoon. Photo: Supplied Both the prime minister and the opposition leader have given scathing rebukes of Wellington councillor Ray Chung's email about Mayor Tory Whanau, saying it is "absolutely disgusting" and calling it "vile and unacceptable." Whanau has rejected the contents of the email, saying it is false and contains "malicious and sexist" rumour. The email - seen by RNZ - was sent to three fellow councillors, recounting a story Chung had been told by his neighbour about the neighbour's son allegedly having a sexual encounter with the mayor. The mayor received an apology from Chung earlier today over the email claims, which he sent to other councillors in 2023, but surfaced last week. Asked about the email in today's post-cabinet media conference, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said first and foremost it was "unacceptable" and "really pretty vile" stuff. Luxon said he did not know Chung, and did not remember meeting him. "I wouldn't be able to tell you who he is or point out who he is." With the upcoming local body elections, Luxon said "you get what you deserve" if you don't show up and vote, and "get good candidates in races". Asked whether Chung should stand down, Luxon replied: "I think the email was entirely inappropriate and utterly unacceptable. "But ultimately, it's up to the fine people of Wellington, who I'm sure will work through who they would like to represent them in that role." Chris Hipkins also criticised the councillor, saying the email was "absolutely disgusting" and there was no place for that content in "good, civilised, democratic debate". "Critiquing an opponent is one thing - those kind of personal, abusive, denigratory messages are just totally unacceptable." Asked whether Chung should stand down, Hipkins said it was a matter for Chung. "But I just think that kind of language should be called out in the strongest possible terms. "It denigrates an opponent. It's undoubtedly sexist, if not misogynist, and I just think there's no place for that in a fair election competition." Meanwhile, Lindsay McKenzie, the Crown Observer assigned to Wellington City Council, said he had made his concerns about the events known to Local Government Minister Simeon Brown as well as Mayor Whanau, councillors and council chief executive Matt Prosser. He said it was likely that the community perceptions of elected members "will be further harmed by what has gone on and will adversely affect the organisation". McKenzie said the strained relationships could undermine the "good work" the council had achieved over the eight months since he was brought in. He said the council still had significant decisions to be made ahead of implementing the amendment to the Long Term Plan and submitting the quality water services delivery plan. "Despite their focus on the election ahead, candidates who are councillors have been reminded that they are still elected members, are still being remunerated and should be focused on the duties and obligations that go with that status. "I have sought reassurances that elected members will stay focused on the interests of the community they are there to serve," McKenzie said. McKenzie said his role with the council would finish at the end of this month and he had no part in the "the formal pre-election period or in relation to electioneering". "I do have a stake in seeing that the gains of the past seven months or so are not lost and Council successfully navigates its way to the end of this term of office," McKenzie said. Prosser confirmed "a number of complaints" had been made against Chung following the revelations. "A number of complaints against the elected member have been received, including some complaints under Wellington City Council's Code of Conduct. Those complaints are currently being reviewed," Prosser said. - additional reporting by RNZ staff Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
