The head of a South Island high school has addressed online outrage over 'single tickets' not being sold for this year's Year 13 formal.
It comes after Otago Boys' High School in Dunedin was made aware of social media posts about the upcoming event, which is regarded as the school's social highlight of the year.
A letter was sent out to parents and students last month which said "there are no single ticket sales" this year, instead just double tickets.
The school's rector Richard Hall said to make the formal "financially viable" they needed the students to bring a partner from outside of the school.
Since the online commentary, the school released a statement to parents clarifying the incorrect "assumptions."
"This has been misconstrued as against the LGBTQI+ community and as discriminatory against those not in a relationship."
Hall said some of the social media comments attacked him as "homophobic".
"I hope I would not have to, but I will anyway, be clear, I have no problem with the identity or gender of their partner," he said.
The school had seen an increase in students purchasing single tickets over the past two years, but Hall said that creates issues.
"Firstly we struggle to meet the budgeted number of ticket sales (in 2022 we had to postpone the formal until August because of this) and secondly it changes the tone and ethos of the event."
"Remember, this is a formal, not the Leavers Dinner where the Year 13 boys get to celebrate with their mates the culmination of their time here. The formal is an event for boys and partners/friends, it is, in a modern world a deliberately old fashioned way to learn to socialise in a safe environment."
It's the 21st formal in a row Hall has been involved in organising with students.
While preparing for the 2023 formal, Hall spoke to the whole year group about the ethos of the event, that identity or gender was not an issue but that they needed the ticket sales and offered the opportunity for students to come up with another event or idea, but nothing come forth.
"I took this to mean they wanted the formal to happen."
He said the Year 13 formal committee had worked extremely hard to make the formal only $10 more than last year.
"Given the current price rises of everything they have done superbly. But they needed to sell double tickets to make it viable."
Around 84 double tickets have been sold which meant the financial threshold had been met, and the event will go ahead later this month.
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