Tumby Bay Area School has allegedly refused to show a parent the lesson plan for a relationships and sexual health class.
Tumby Bay mum Rachel Read said she was advocating for the children in the community and asked to see the lesson plan after fellow parents reported their children’s responses to the class had been, at times, concerning.
Mrs Read said a reason she was specifically approached by one of the parents was because of her role on the governing council.
“Two boys said that they were told they could change genitalia and identify as an animal if they chose,” she said.
“The parent asked if I could come to a meeting with the teacher as they had spoken to them on the phone and felt intimidated. Four of us went together and at the meeting the teacher who has been running the class didn’t deny that she’s been teaching it.
“I asked her about animals and if a student came and identified as a cat, would you provide kitty litter and she said they would have to ask the [Education] Department – these are 10-year-olds who I just don’t think need to be worrying about things like this.”
A department spokesperson said Tumby Bay Area School’s relationships and sexual health education utilises SHINE SA curriculum resources, which was aligned to the Australian Curriculum and had been used for a number of years in schools across South Australia.
Mrs Read said when she approached SHINE SA for a copy of the lesson plan it also did not provide a copy, noting the reason both parties refused was because she “was not trained”.
“But I was like, so you can show it to 10-year-olds, but not us,” she said.
The department spokesperson said the curriculum was “designed to teach young people about respectful, healthy relationships and to equip them with the knowledge and skills to make safe and informed decisions about their health and wellbeing”.
However, the spokesperson noted that at no stage had teachers told students they could choose to change their genitalia or identify as an animal as a component of the course.
“The curriculum does not encourage young people to change their gender identity and it does not teach processes for young people to transition to a different gender,” they said.
“Prior to students commencing learning this part of the curriculum, the school notifies parents and provides an outline of the topics to be discussed.
“Parents are also invited to contact the school or leadership team if they want further clarity and are given the option for their children to opt out. This has also been discussed and outlined at governing council meetings.”
The department said in this instance, the school met with parents and provided additional information about the curriculum.
The spokesperson added the outline of the health and physical education curriculum was publicly available on the Australian Curriculum website at v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au
“Teachers are trained by experts in the field in delivering these important and sensitive topics, tailored to students in both primary and high school,” they said.
“The resources created for teachers are evidence-based, age-appropriate, and produced in consultation with doctors, nurses, teachers, parents and carers.”
Mrs Read has since asked a friend with children at a different school to ask to see their lesson plan and the school obliged and were happy to talk about it.
“It was a very different response – I just think that it’s shrouded in secrecy and I wonder why,” she said.
“Why not say?”
