Corinda State High School needs to loosen the strict uniform policy.
The issue
Corinda State High School is a public, state-owned school that has had a notoriously strict uniform policy, especially compared to other public schools in the area. For years, people have wanted to dye their hair, have piercings as simple as their second lobes, and even the basic ability to untuck their shirts. The uniform policy is so unnecessarily strict to the point where we cannot come to school wearing outside clothes for in-school events, like coloured tutus for sporting events or even pyjamas for pyjama day. Our school claims that the basis of the strict policies is to protect us from harm, often citing the Workplace Health and Safety act as well as past incidents that caused them to disallow the possession of jewellery. However, many of these claims are arguably incorrect. Of course, jewellery can pose a safety risk because of the possibility of tugging and therefore causing injury, but this level of injury is extremely unlikely unless a student is playing sports with jewellery in, or is deliberately misusing it.
Other schools in the area like Centenary State High School, another public school, allow their students to have earring stacks, dyed hair, and a significantly more lax uniform policy. Centenary often participates in our Gala days, where our school verses numerous other schools in many sport settings. Indooroopilly State High School, a public school that is very sought-after for being free dress, is touted as being one of the best schools in Brisbane that are able to prioritise a great education without the uniform-based paranoia Corinda has. Brigidine College, a Catholic private school, also has a more lax uniform policy, allowing their students to wear more piercings and have their hair dyed more than ours. The mentioning of these other schools serves to say that our school is a significant outlier compared to local schools that are rated as being better than Corinda.
As an elaboration on the first paragraph, we wholeheartedly believe that these policies don't just serve to protect us from harm — they are deliberately added to make our students dress according to traditional, outdated values. The teachers themselves do not care about what the students wear, but they are forced to police it otherwise they will get in trouble. The previous principal, who left in 2024, was the one responsible for making the school's policies as strict as they are. It got so bad to the point that the newly-bought skirts automatically went down to the girls' ankles. The shoes must be heeled, the jumper can't be mixed with the sports uniform and you must buy a sports jacket to wear it with the sports uniform, and they even used to police the laptop bags we brought to school. Even down to the MEASUREMENT of the studded earrings has occurred. Not a single thing could be done right by the students, and frankly, everybody is impacted by it and is also sick of it. Making a bunch of public school kids look like they're a part of a local amish congregation is embarrassing and unnecessary. The school itself is good, but making a huge deal out of what public school children wear takes away from the literal point of school.
Overall, we are sick of having these traditional values indirectly preached onto us. Our cultural, religious, sexual, aesthetic, and personal identities have not been deemed unprofessional for decades now, so continuing to feed the flame of conformity will only damage our future generations. Allow the children to express themselves and stop threatening suspensions and after-school detentions for the wrong things. Stop criminalising our identities and the things we wear. We will fight for our school to relax the uniform policy, and every signature is greatly appreciated. If you wish to see change, the first way to do it is to be a part of it.
As per requests, we wish for the following things to change:
- Allow different earring styles, like more earrings, larger studs, and sleepers.
- Coloured hair.
- Small facial piercings that can be replaced with clear retainers.
- Necklaces and bracelets of reasonable length.
- Untucked shirts for the boys.
647
The issue
Corinda State High School is a public, state-owned school that has had a notoriously strict uniform policy, especially compared to other public schools in the area. For years, people have wanted to dye their hair, have piercings as simple as their second lobes, and even the basic ability to untuck their shirts. The uniform policy is so unnecessarily strict to the point where we cannot come to school wearing outside clothes for in-school events, like coloured tutus for sporting events or even pyjamas for pyjama day. Our school claims that the basis of the strict policies is to protect us from harm, often citing the Workplace Health and Safety act as well as past incidents that caused them to disallow the possession of jewellery. However, many of these claims are arguably incorrect. Of course, jewellery can pose a safety risk because of the possibility of tugging and therefore causing injury, but this level of injury is extremely unlikely unless a student is playing sports with jewellery in, or is deliberately misusing it.
Other schools in the area like Centenary State High School, another public school, allow their students to have earring stacks, dyed hair, and a significantly more lax uniform policy. Centenary often participates in our Gala days, where our school verses numerous other schools in many sport settings. Indooroopilly State High School, a public school that is very sought-after for being free dress, is touted as being one of the best schools in Brisbane that are able to prioritise a great education without the uniform-based paranoia Corinda has. Brigidine College, a Catholic private school, also has a more lax uniform policy, allowing their students to wear more piercings and have their hair dyed more than ours. The mentioning of these other schools serves to say that our school is a significant outlier compared to local schools that are rated as being better than Corinda.
As an elaboration on the first paragraph, we wholeheartedly believe that these policies don't just serve to protect us from harm — they are deliberately added to make our students dress according to traditional, outdated values. The teachers themselves do not care about what the students wear, but they are forced to police it otherwise they will get in trouble. The previous principal, who left in 2024, was the one responsible for making the school's policies as strict as they are. It got so bad to the point that the newly-bought skirts automatically went down to the girls' ankles. The shoes must be heeled, the jumper can't be mixed with the sports uniform and you must buy a sports jacket to wear it with the sports uniform, and they even used to police the laptop bags we brought to school. Even down to the MEASUREMENT of the studded earrings has occurred. Not a single thing could be done right by the students, and frankly, everybody is impacted by it and is also sick of it. Making a bunch of public school kids look like they're a part of a local amish congregation is embarrassing and unnecessary. The school itself is good, but making a huge deal out of what public school children wear takes away from the literal point of school.
Overall, we are sick of having these traditional values indirectly preached onto us. Our cultural, religious, sexual, aesthetic, and personal identities have not been deemed unprofessional for decades now, so continuing to feed the flame of conformity will only damage our future generations. Allow the children to express themselves and stop threatening suspensions and after-school detentions for the wrong things. Stop criminalising our identities and the things we wear. We will fight for our school to relax the uniform policy, and every signature is greatly appreciated. If you wish to see change, the first way to do it is to be a part of it.
As per requests, we wish for the following things to change:
- Allow different earring styles, like more earrings, larger studs, and sleepers.
- Coloured hair.
- Small facial piercings that can be replaced with clear retainers.
- Necklaces and bracelets of reasonable length.
- Untucked shirts for the boys.
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Petition created on 17 August 2026