School girl's plea wins WA students right to choose pants over skirts
Thanks to a heartfelt letter written by an 11-year-old girl, West Australian public school girls will now be allowed to wear shorts or pants to school.
Sofia Myhre wrote a letter to WA education minister Sue Ellery saying she didn't like wearing skirts to school because they were "annoying" when she tried to play sport, The West Australian has reported.
The eloquently worded letter has lead to an overhaul of WA dress codes at public schools to ensure they are "non-discriminatory."
"I think it's really unfair that my brothers have been allowed to wear shorts and all through primary school I haven't been allowed to except when I have sport," Sofia writes in the letter.
"I really love kicking the footy, netball and doing handstands at recess and lunch.
"It is annoying doing these things in a skirt."
After meeting Sofia and her mother Krystina, the education minister has now asked her department to overhaul the Dress Codes for Students Policy.
The change, which will allow girls to wear shorts or pants to school, does not apply to private schools.
WA businesswoman Diane Smith-Gander, who is president of Chief Executive Women WA, told The West Australian she would like to see skirts and dresses removed from the dress code policy altogether.
"It is certainly true that it is way easier to look up a skirt than up pants legs," she said.
"So if a girl feels better on monkey bars in pants, let her choose."
