McGrath High holds meeting on schoolboy grooming issues

The principal of McGrath High School is to meet on Wednesday with the parent of a student who was seen in a viral TikTok video claiming that he was barred from the school due to the length of his hair.

Chief Education Officer Terry Ann Thomas-Gayle told this morning's post-Cabinet press briefing that the student will also be present at the meeting.

At the time of the video recording, other students had also complained of being barred from accessing the school compound over similar issues. The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information has since launched a probe into the matter concerning the schoolboy.

"We have asked that all measures be put in place so that the students seen in the videos are not at... a disadvantage, (and) that it becomes a learning experience for not just them but the other student population," Thomas-Gayle said.

Additionally, she said the principal is also meeting with the school's board so that the necessary steps be put in place to utilise all the psychosocial mechanisms to ensure the students receive "the best output" from the situation.

In the video, the schoolboy had complained about McGrath High School's grooming policy and called for the immediate intervention of the ministry.

After uploading another video of himself getting a haircut, the teenager said he was not allowed to enter the school.

The overall developments prompted social media users to discuss the matter, arguing that the grooming policies implemented by some schools are restrictive and archaic.

The ministry said on Monday in a statement that its preliminary report from the school indicated that the schoolboy had arrived late and was cautioned about both his tardiness and his haircut, which did not comply with the school’s regulations.

"Despite being instructed to stay in a designated area while his parents were contacted, the student reportedly left the school compound," the ministry stated.

It noted that efforts by the principal to direct the student and others back inside were met with "non-compliance".