Parents furious after theyre banned from drinking at school events: Being treated like children

Dozens of students at Sydney’s Catholic high schools have been banned from bringing a date to their year 12 formal under a new policy, sparking “huge uproar”.Under the rules, which apply to the 147 systemic schools within the city’s Catholic archdiocese, parents will also be forbidden from drinking alcohol at end-of-year celebrations.Released earlier this year, the policy applies to year 12 graduation dinners, formals and other events, as well as end-of-school celebrations for year 6 students.“As a school system we have a duty of care to our staff and students at any school event,” a Sydney Catholic Schools spokesperson told news.com.au.“The prohibition of alcohol at school events is consistent with our code of conduct.The focus of these events is on celebration of our students, their school lives, friendships and achievements.

We do not believe that alcohol is a necessary part of any school event or celebration.”As for the exclusion of “external” partners at end-of-school celebrations, many of the archdiocese’s co-ed schools never allowed for them in the first place, the spokesperson said, and historically only been allowed to bring “students from within their community”.Given it’s the first time the policy has been “articulated consistently” across all schools, there will be some leniency where dates are concerned.“The implementation will be considered with feedback from our school leaders and communities for 2025,” the spokesperson said.They said the ban on external partners is unrelated to a situation last year at one of its schools, St Ursula’s College in Kingsgrove.The institution made national headlines when it prohibited a year 12 student from bringing her female partner to her formal, later backflipping on the decision following public backlash.“The content of this policy is not a direct response to media matters around school formals from previous years, but was a response to the call in those matters for a syste...