Religious instruction in schools faces overhaul after homophobic Biblezine controversy

Religious instruction in schools faces overhaul after homophobic Biblezine controversy

A REPORT into an incident involving the distribution of sexist and homophobic material by religious educators to students at a Victorian public school has found the provider was in breach of a number of Education Department policies.

The incident and subsequent departmental investigation has contributed to an overhaul of the state’s policies regarding special religious instruction (SRI) in schools.

In December last year SRI volunteers from Access Ministries, the state’s only Christian-based SRI provider, distributed almost 20 “Biblezines” to students after a Christmas play.

The publication, intended for male students, reportedly instructed students to seek counselling if they had homosexual feelings, and condemned masturbation and sex before marriage as “sinful”.

The incident was condemned by anti-homophobia and transphobia advocates, with the Safe Schools Coalition Victoria calling the material “extremely damaging”.

The summary of the Department of Education’s report into the incident said the distribution of the Biblezines was “inconsistent” with the SRI provider’s volunteer agreement, the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, and a number of Department policies. These included the Supporting Sexual Diversity in Schools policy and the Human Resources Policy on Same-sex Attracted Employees.

The report points to the recently-issued Ministerial Direction 141 from Education Minister Martin Dixon, which sought to clarify a number of ambiguities around SRI in Victorian schools.

It specifically highlights a section of the Ministerial Direction indicating SRI instructors may not participate in school events outside of SRI, unless they are there in some other capacity, such as a parent or school council member.

The Star Observer understands that while work on the Ministerial Direction began before the Torquay College incident, the clarifications in the direction were developed alongside the recommendations arising from the investigation.

While the report did not lead to sanctions against Access Ministries as the provider of the SRI volunteers involved in the incident, the Star Observer understands specific actions arose from the investigation relating to individuals involved, which cannot be discussed for privacy reasons.

In terms of Access Ministries as an organisation, the key recommendations in the report are designed to ensure the Torquay College incident will not be repeated by facilitating compliance with existing policies and the Ministerial Directive.

Anti-SRI advocates Fairness in Religion in Schools (FIRIS) welcomed the release of Ministerial Direction 141 earlier this month, calling the policy “a big win” for their campaign.

FIRIS highlighted a number of key points in the policy as significant gains, including a clarified requirement for schools to have two teachers available during SRI, one to supervise SRI and one to supervise those students not taking SRI.

It also directs schools not to provide SRI if the school does not have the resources to comply with their requirements.

School principals must also ensure parents have access to the SRI program in an online format, and parents will be issued a revised consent form for SRI providing more information about what will be taught.

The ongoing issue of religion in schools has also arisen in relation to providers of school chaplains under the Federal Government’s recently-announced $245 million National School Chaplaincy Program.

The program will replace the current Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Program, meaning schools could no longer have access to secular welfare workers under the scheme.

Tasmanian LGBTI advocacy organisation Rainbow Communities has expressed concern over the state’s major provider of school chaplains, Scripture Union.

“We are quire concerned about the fact the government is imposing religion on our community, because religion has not been our great friend and supporter,” Rainbow Communities’ Don Macdonald told The Examiner.

Scripture Union responded by saying their school chaplains were trained specifically to work with LGBTI students as a group “needing more care”. The organisation argued they were in schools to support students, not to make judgements.

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8 responses to “Religious instruction in schools faces overhaul after homophobic Biblezine controversy”

  1. There is no place for religious instruction in Public Schools. The place for it is in churches. Go and brianwash the young there. I am disgusted that the present Federal Government is giving 1/4 billion $s to fund chaplains in schools, without schools even having the option of employing a social worker (instead of a bible basher.)

  2. Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this,
    like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic blog.
    A great read. I will definitely be back.

  3. It is unfortunate hate material has been allowed into a school. It is now a bit like asking the Klu Klux Klan not to discriminate against non white students while teaching about Jesus. It can be hard enough growing up in a country town, discovering you are same-sex attracted, without some nutjobs saying you are sinful.

  4. The following is directly from the 2008 SU Code of Conduct for Chaplains.

    “Scenario 2: Respect for Others – Inappropriate Conduct
    During an RE lesson, a Chaplain is asked a question about God’s view of homosexuals. The Chaplain responds that he believes that “God hates homosexuality” and that “homosexuals are being punished for their sinful lifestyle via the AIDS epidemic”. This is vilification and the Chaplain should avoid these comments in all circumstances. A more appropriate comment would be, “Christians have a range of views on homosexuality. I believe God loves all people, including those living homosexual lifestyles. I don’t believe this is God’s intended way for us to get the most out of life and our relationships. I also don’t believe that God views homosexuality as more or less sinful than any other behaviour that falls short of God’s best for us.”

    Is this the basis for the extra care they’re talking about? No matter how hard they try, even in the example of ‘appropriate conduct’ they label homosexuality as sinful. So wrong to have people with these attitudes in schools.

    • Jayel – this article is about the compromise Access Ministries has made, but of course you’ve chosen to ignore the words “support” , “big win” and the clear example that within reason in an intellectual discussion they are willing to understand as their faiths dictate that they do accept or tolerate everyone that they can’t fit into their moulds.

      According to the collective moral codes of religion (because we’re not just talking about one) – Adultery is sinful, Divorce is sinful, Corporate Greed is sinful, everything is potentially sinful. I think things get a little blown out of proportion when opinions on this topic are sometimes slanted in a way to make it look like a religious attack on the Rainbow people…

      When it comes to relevance – and you just need to turn to published reports of divorce rates, political agendas and declining statistics on faiths people identify with speaks volumes on how relevant a majority of people find it.

      In this pop culture driven world, do you really believe students listen to their parents, let alone their chaplains? Kids today are more outspoken and more well informed then they have ever been.

      No one’s turning it into an issue but you and that common attitude many in our community in our plights is what I personally find “extremely damaging”…

      • Sorry Joseph. I didn’t know I had to get your approval to post a comment on an article that, at the end, expresses concern about SU and even says, “…religion has not been our great friend and supporter…”. But I guess that’s just me making an issue of it, right?

    • Jayel, very interesting post. Most right minded people would consider the School Chaplain program child abuse, to suggest the existence of young same-sex attracted person as sinful. I think there would be some good Chaplains, but if this guide is correct, then the program is teaching emotional abuse to students who are at the higher end of suicide statistics. For some, it could well be the final push. But all this aside, the High Court found funding the program was against the constitution.

    • You’re generalising, the same way people in our community get stereotyped. That’s really the point I wanted to make… You’re obviously not use to debating an issue objectively to be so defensive. Chill brother…