Safe Schools Programme.

[k0llectable5]

 I just read this article from Sydney Morning Herald; 

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-orders-review-of-safe-school-...

An independent review announced on Tuesday will advise Education Minister Simon Birmingham on whether the program's material is "age appropriate" by mid-March. 

The issue dominated discussion in Tuesday's behind-closed-doors meeting of Coalition MPs and senators. 

In the meeting, Liberal senator Cory Bernardi called for the $8 million program to be defunded because he was concerned it was being used to "indoctrinate children into a Marxist agenda of cultural relativism".

Senator Bernardi added he believed the program was prematurely sexualising children, saying he was concerned young people were being instructed how to hide their breasts or **bleep**. He told Fairfax Media he had collected 9500 signatures in a petition from "concerned Australians" in less than a week.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-orders-review-of-safe-school-...
 

Does anyone know much about the framework for this programme? I thought this safe schools programme was about eradicating bullying etc.   

[Anonymous]

you could be right.  hard to tell what else

they're not happy about without actually

reading all the recommended material

http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org.au/resources/

[***super_nova***]

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lind9650 wrote:. It's alright for teachers to have their own opinion, but don't impose that way of thinking on a whole class of children.

That's what I am objecting to.

Erica

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Are you saying that to be against bullying is an opinion and the teacher and educational department has no right to impose that view on the students? 

This material is not something that is given to the kids, it is given to the teachers to help them access various info that is on line.   The teacher decides what might be useful in a particular situation.  The program is not exclusively about sexuality, but kids that are gay or transsexual suffer more bullying than others.  So some sections of the program deals with explanation that some kids are different.   That would be useful when teacher has gay or transsexual kid in their class.   Just because a site that was in the package has also info about hiding your one's gender,  does not mean the teacher would teach that to class.  In any case, child that believes he or she is transgender, and want to hide what gender they are, I am sure they would have already googled it.

[Anonymous]

So some sections of the program deals with explanation that some kids are different.

this program is specifically for

Safe Schools Coalition Australia is a national coalition of organisations and schools working together to create safe and inclusive school environments for same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students, staff and families.

FORMER Prime Minister John Howard has welcomed the Turnbull Government’s review into a school program aimed at increasing acceptance of children struggling with gender and sexual identities, saying the program should never have been allowed in the first place.

Mr Howard said on Sunday he believed the review was warranted.

“I am, like most middle Australians, concerned,” he told Sky.

“It just completely baffles me that something should have got passed the first barrier; something like that is fundamentally according to our culture and our society those matters should be discussed by parents with children.

“I am totally in favour of any effective program that will deal with bullying. Bullying against people whether they are homosexual or whatever their gender disposition or their beliefs is quite unacceptable and it causes an enormous amount of pain and grief not only to children put to their parents.

“But you don’t need to be pursuing such a social agenda as this document is clearly pursuing in order to deal with bullying.”

Mr Howard labelled Opposition Leader Bill Shorten as “out of touch with middle Australia” for suggesting those MPS behind the review were homophobic.

[moonflyte]

Wow he is still so relevent. Where are the politicians like this anymore.

[debra9275]

I don't think he's so relevent

Nova did you watch QandA last night.. some interesting discussion on the safe schools programme.

I thought Anna Burke was very good and wise in a lot of things she said. I also noted that Bill Billson is in support of it

[***super_nova***]

I do not have TV and it does not seem to be live streamed anymore (or I am unable to get live stream working), so I always watch it day late.  I will watch it tonight 🙂

[debra9275]

I think the basic concept of it is good- the anti bullying and acceptance but perhaps parents should be more involved and the support group  minus18 isn't suitable for school children and if there are any links to them, they should be removed

just my view on it

[***super_nova***]

The way I heard it  being explained that the kids are not given the material, the links are for the teachers.

But I am bit uneasy about kids being told they can be whatever gender they want - IF that is what they are being told.  Many kids want to be something else than they are; I went from yearning for blond curls like Shirley Temple, to blond dead straight, until I grew up and realised that my thick dark slightly wavy hair is very beautiful, and never again wished for something else.  I also wished I was a boy until about 12, and then I realised I am perfectly happy to be girl.  I think that in my case it was more that I wanted to do all the exciting stuff boys did, while I was constantly reminded I should behave like a lady  LOL

I feel uncomfortable if children are in any way manipulated to think they are trans gender, just as I am horrified if parents take teenage kids to plastic surgeons for nose jobs, or any other operation.  Of-course, I am not talking about deformities or fixing something after accident etc.

[k0llectable5]

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@***super_nova*** wrote:

The way I heard it  being explained that the kids are not given the material, the links are for the teachers.

But I am bit uneasy about kids being told they can be whatever gender they want - IF that is what they are being told.  Many kids want to be something else than they are; I went from yearning for blond curls like Shirley Temple, to blond dead straight, until I grew up and realised that my thick dark slightly wavy hair is very beautiful, and never again wished for something else.  I also wished I was a boy until about 12, and then I realised I am perfectly happy to be girl.  I think that in my case it was more that I wanted to do all the exciting stuff boys did, while I was constantly reminded I should behave like a lady  LOL

I feel uncomfortable if children are in any way manipulated to think they are trans gender, just as I am horrified if parents take teenage kids to plastic surgeons for nose jobs, or any other operation.  Of-course, I am not talking about deformities or fixing something after accident etc.

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Great points Nova.  Kids are like little pieces of play dough, they really can be moulded.  To quote Aristotle;

Give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you the man (also works with women 😉

People who are short want to be taller, people who are freckled want to be non freckeled (is that even a term lol), people who had brothers wish they had sisters, the oldest in the family wishes they were the youngest etc etc.  Kids especially go through phases. The age specific content of the programme is paramount for me.  I dont think sex ed in primary school is necessary at all.  Maybe it's useful for the teachers to have some guidance material if they have individual cases but I think with kids fashions these days, the mainstream entertainment industry, and now schools we are trying to sexualize kids way too young. 

[***super_nova***]

Actually, it is now believed that people are more like 90% nature and only small % nurture.  In other words they cannot be molded into something they are not, the only difference in outcome is how they deal with their natural inheritance.  Nobody important would nowadys say that people are not born gay.    If you take 2 gay kids, one is accepted at home and in school and supported, he/she will develop into well balanced individual.  If the other is not accepted by parents, bullied at school, and thrown out of home with the words "do not come back until you get this nonsense out of your head", will have lots more problems in life, but if he/she is a strong talented attractive individual, they may still prevail, but some may suicide. 

It is a huge dilemma for parents of transgender kids; there is no way that kids, even those very young are not conscious of sexuality.  They just cannot escape it; sex is everywhere you look.  Kids always talk about such things, and it is better to address it in class room than behind the bike shed, especially if some parents do not do it.  My mother decided to tell me about whee babies come from about 4 years too late  LOL  Some parents have difficulty to comprehend how fast is their child growing up.  🙂