TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls High School Flag and Drill team is regretting participating in the annual Chiayi City International Band Festival on Dec. 17 as the arrival of a cold front made them perform in frigid temperatures.
According to a Liberty Times report, parents allege members of the flag and drill team were bullied into wearing skirts and going jacketless despite the chilly weather. Parents found fault with the system where second-year high school students were given authority over first-year students, and ultimately, governance over dress code.
Three first-year senior high school students participated in the event and wore light clothing due to pressure from more senior members of the flag corps who wanted to put their best foot forward. Zhongshan Girls High School Flag Team has a long and esteemed history, though declining birth rates in Taiwan and other challenges have affected the group.
The performance in Chiayi on Saturday (Dec 17) was met with rain and gusts, leading municipal officials to mull cancellation of the outdoor event. Eventually, it was decided to go ahead with the event.
A parent of a first-year senior high school student said the group has a strict seniority system, currently composed of 16 senior second-year students and six first-year students. Daily training can be intense, including 12-hour outdoor sessions, regardless of rain.
Parents expressed regret that after three or four hours of performance, three first-year high school students were showing visible signs of early stage hypothermia. The team instructor rushed to massage their bodies, provide ginger tea, and heating packs to help them recover. Later, many flag and drill participants experienced sore throats.
Fault for the inappropriate dress was levied at elder members of the flag and drill team, though parents allege that instructors and school staff were witnesses and should have intervened. Despite anger from parents, school authorities have yet to apologize or respond to the incident.
