U.K. Teacher Comes Down on Pajama-Wearing Parents

The head teacher of a U.K. school made headlines this week after her request for parents to no longer wear pajamas when dropping their children off at school went viral.

Kate Chisholm, the head of Skerne Park Academy in Darington, sent a letter home to parents on January 20 asking them to wear appropriate daywear as a way of setting a better example for their children.

The letter read, in part, “I have noticed there has been an increasing tendency for parents to escort children to and from school while still wearing their pajamas and, on occasion, even slippers. Could I please ask that when you are escorting your children, you take the time to dress appropriately in day wear that is suitable for the weather conditions?”

The letter caused a divisive split amongst parents, with some applauding it while others openly defied the request.

Despite the mixed reaction, Chisholm doubled down on her anti-pajama stance to the Daily Mail, saying, “If we’re to raise standards it’s not too much to ask parents to have a wash and get dressed. … I don’t give two hoots how people dress at home, I just think if they’re a good role model for their children and want them to get a job and better yourself then they ought to get dressed.” Later in the same interview however, Chisholm admitted that she can’t force the parents to not wear sleep clothes, but said she would continue sending the letter home as need be.

The Darington incident isn’t the first time parents wearing pajamas has become a hot button issue.

In 2011, five U.K. schools in Middlesborough sent home similar letters, as did the St. Matthews school in Belfast. The issue has also reached across the pond into the United States, where a Florida school board member suggested having a dress code that parents would have to adhere to when taking their children to and from school.