Mitcham Girls High bans students from posting school uniform ‘content’ online

Mitcham Girls High has banned its students from posting online photos and videos of themselves in school uniforms after some questionable social media content.

Students have been threatened with “consequences” if they put photos or video of their Mitcham Girls High School uniform on social media without the school’s permission.

In a notice to parents and students, deputy principal Nathan Cini said the school’s reputation was at stake.

“We have growing concerns as a school community by the content of posts on various online platforms that are being created and published by our students,” the notice says.

“Our concern is the wellbeing, safety and reputation of our students and our school.

“You are not permitted to upload content with our uniform or grounds in it without our permission and consequences will apply for those who don’t follow these expectations. Please see me for more information regarding this.”

Mr Cini said it was the school’s role to “help educate everyone on how to safely and responsibly engage with social media”.

He did not include any examples of concerning content that had been posted on platforms popular with teens such as TikTok, YouTube, SnapChat and Instagram.

The notice followed a school assembly that addressed the same topic.

Mitcham Girls High School at Kingswood.

South Australian Secondary Principals Association chief executive Peter Mader said he did not know of another school banning unauthorised photos of uniforms on social media.

He said the uniform was strongly associated with the identity of the school and other students so posts by some could reflect on others.

“Where I think the Mitcham Girls piece is coming from is the sense they’re trying to protect the school’s reputation,” he said. “I haven’t heard of other schools going down the same path but there’s usually a reason behind it.”

UniSA Emeritus Professor of law Rick Sarre said enrolling in a school was a “contractual arrangement” and students and parents were obliged to abide by school policies.

“Ignorance is no excuse but they must have been made aware of them,” he said.

“If something’s gone wrong and they’ve just brought out this policy in response, you can’t make it retrospective.

“In an ideal world, the rules would be negotiated by the school and the pupils to get the best outcome for everyone.”

Prof Sarre, who is the SA Council for Civil Liberties president, said the school’s stance did not constitute a civil liberties issue because students had options of other schools with different rules.

Principal Linda Richardson declined to reveal the nature of the social media posts which had prompted Mitcham’s action.

She said the consequences for breaching the ban on posts that included the school uniform would “come from a place of learning, rather than punitive actions”.