While Dewar defended the University's actions, he reinstated Ward, with the Teachers Union saying Ward would be then able to resume supporting young people who are bullied. The Department of Education acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledge their continuing connection to land, water and community. Resource content includes a video of same sex attracted and gender diverse youth, as well as intersex film-maker Phoebe Hart. The review made the following findings, which were not consistent with the criticism made: Following the federal government defunding the program in 2016 and states replacing the Safe Schools with more over-arching anti-bullying programs, a future iteration of the program seems unlikely. If you what to know more about the Safe Schools Program, check out this guide. [153][154], In September 2017 it was reported that Education Minister Yvette Berry, "will soon launch" the ACT's answer to Safe Schools program. Sexual orientation . [99], On 9 May 2017 the Australian Christian Lobby hosted a seminar in Melbourne entitled Is Safe Schools safe?, with the speakers, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Western Sydney, John Whitehall[100] and Dr Elisabeth Taylor from ACL. Terms of reference for Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) Programme. 'A threat to the social order': a 'problem frame' analysis of the Safe The Conversations FactCheck unit is the first fact-checking team in Australia and one of the first worldwide to be accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network, an alliance of fact-checkers hosted at the Poynter Institute in the US. [64] Some of the negative commentary surrounding the program has been attributed to the belief that young people who are exposed to LGBTIQ issues might then change their sexuality. The most critical findings of the Safe Schools Coalition were that some resources "may not be suitable for use in some faith-based schools". Its most popular service at this stage is whole staff professional learning at the request of schools. They normally are available either in the school library or through the student support centre. D16/318801. This page is not available in other languages. The glossary of terms is led by their use of terms, and terms like pansexual are commonly used by young people in their daily lives. Students are given the opportunity to challenge LGBT stereotypes. (Document) as a. PDF (184.92kb) Creation Date. Funding agreement for the SSCA program. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [34][51] The program is supported by Beyond Blue, headspace and the Australian Secondary Principals Association. The national coalition was established to deliver on the vision of the Australian Government's National Safe Schools Framework which aims to build safe school communities where diversity is valued, the risk from all types of harm is minimised and all members of the community feel respected, inclu [5], Schools are encouraged to join the coalition as members. Interestingly, the views of run-of-the-mill teachers engaging with the program on a regular basis were conspicuously absent from the debate most of the time. The Conversation FactCheck is accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network. Schools are encouraged to customise the implementation of resources which are provided. One of the few content-based guides that Safe Schools supplies specifically for the students, OMG Im Queer does indeed list the term pansexual in the new words glossary at the back. There was also a bit of controversy when Safe Schools founder, Roz Ward, was suspended from La Trobe University in June 2016 for saying the Australia flag was racist. in In The Classroom, Industry+Reform, Top Stories One Nation Queensland leader Steve Dicksons claim that the Safe Schools program contains highly explicit material directed at young children in their formative years is incorrect. [5] The primary activity of the SSCA is the Safe Schools Program that was developed to give support to teachers and schools who had been seeking assistance in the creation of a more inclusive environment for LGBTIQ students and their families. [144] South Australia has withdrawn from the Safe Schools Coalition Program. Seven Things You Must Know about the Safe Schools Program During 2016, Crusoe College joined the Safe Schools Coalition (SSC) as part of our commitment to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for all our students. By: Wade Zaglas The program was run by the Safe Schools Coalition Australia, 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. [15] St Joseph's College in Melbourne is a Catholic school taking part in the program. [11] In response an independent review was conducted in 2016. [1][6] The SSCA is managed by The Foundation for Young Australians[7] and funded by various state governments. Lucy Nicholas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. The Respectful Relationships program covers topics such as emotional literacy, anger management, coping skills, problem solving skills, anti-bullying, how to seek help from others, and gender equality. This is also supported by evidence that sexual identity is often known fairly early in life. Does the Safe Schools program teach radical gender theory? STATEMENT ON SAFE SCHOOLS COALITION | Ministers' Media Centre The Safe Schools Coalition Australia programme was established with worthy objectives to reduce homophobic and transphobic behaviour, increase support for individual students and increase their positive inclusion to maximise the learning potential of all in a safe environment. As most school students are under 18, this was age inappropriate. The Safe Schools program offers a variety of resources and materials to schools to help educators learn how to prevent and respond to bullying and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status.. Safe Schools: Malcolm Turnbull requests investigation into program Entitled a Review of Appropriateness and Efficacy of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia Program Resources, the review was written by Emeritus Professor in Education at the University of Western Australia, Bill Louden. [140] Queensland has withdrawn from the Safe Schools Coalition Program. According to the website, the program also involved a review of school policies, as well as training for staff and the creation of student alliances that foster an environment that is more inclusive and accepting. Its mission is to create safe and inclusive schools for students, families and staff who are in these groups. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Subscribe to our free weekly eNewsletter for the latest news from, Copyright 2023 NationwideNews Pty Ltd All Rights Reserved. Unsurprisingly, views among academics, support groups and organisations varied markedly. [112], Education Minister Simon Birmingham outlined the federal government's action in response to the Louden Review in a media statement. You can read more about how Safe Schools is offered across Australia in this recent FactCheck. Again, the statistics bear a harsh truth. The program receives daily requests to work with school communities to promote a safe and environment for LGBTI students. This month, wed like education professionals to look back at the program and consider the following: Education Review welcomes contributions on this topic, both in written and podcast form. Meanwhile, Greens MP Adam Brandt launched a crowdfunding campaign to provide rainbow flags for schools. Those accusations have, in turn, been labelled 'homophobic' by supporters of the Coalition. The National School Climate 2013 Survey found that 74.1% of LGBTIQ students were verbally bullied (e.g., called names, threatened) in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 55.2% because of their gender expression. It is targeted at students in early secondary school settings. ", William Louden, Review of Appropriateness and Efficacy of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia Program Resources[1], The review did not find that any of the official resources were inappropriate. [1][12][71][72] The review did not consider the contents of the Minus 18[73] website, or the contents of the network partners websites. We then ask a second academic to review an anonymous copy of the article. a future iteration of the program seems unlikely. We are a group of mothers who seek to draw attention to the age-inappropriate teaching resources of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) program, the Minus18 organisation (Australias largest network of LGBT youth) and various state PDHPE curricula. Safe Schools does offer support and resources to primary school educators, but this is strictly on request only. At least 4% of young people are transgender or gender diverse: an umbrella term including transsexual and transgender, used to describe a broad range of non-conforming gender identities and expressions. Schools are also given the choice to use however many resources they deem necessary for their school. [36] The program is focused on "challenging the bullying and discrimination of the LGBTIQ community within the school setting". First, readers have been interpellated as parents by both pro- and anti-Safe Schools commentators. In Australia, the State of Victoria has set out on implementing a program with similar values, targeted at a particularly vulnerable student demographic: has found that 61 percent of LGBTI kids have experienced verbal homophobic abuse, and 80 percent of that abuse was reported to occur at school. To date, more than 13,000 school staff around Australia have taken part in training delivered by the coalition. Supporting sexual diversity, intersex and gender diversity in schools, Subscribe to Safe Schools Coalition Australia. Discipline Co-ordinator and Lecturer in Sociology, Swinburne University of Technology. The fact that parental oversight was undermines is because the department of education explicitly states it exists for the welfare of the students. The Conversation is fact-checking the Queensland election. The future of this well-meaning program remains uncertain. kids face discrimination and abuse for their sexual orientation and gender identity, and as a result, LGBTI kids have the highest rates of suicide and suicide attempts in Australia today. How does Safe Schools work? "I'm high profile. You're Teaching Our Children What - Overview, News - ZoomInfo The Safe Schools Coalition supplies schools with a range of additional resources, including the following: Student Booklets - Written . "[1], In May 2016, Queenslander of the Year and transgender woman Cate McGregor, who "had been asked to be an Ambassador for the program and had initially agreed",[80] subsequently said that she does not agree that the Safe Schools program is the best way to support transgender children. Certain politicians and media commentators have accused the initiative of harming the students it ostensibly aims to benefit. The Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) was a group of organisations in Australia focused on LGBTIQ people in schools. Melbourne High School teacher Christopher Bush helped produce and write content. From something as small as high fives and fist bumps, to writing poems and giving goodie bags, its apparent that in 2019 teachers are starting taking care of their students mental health as well as their education. In response, Deputy Chief Minister, Yvette Berry said Mr Wall should be "ashamed of himself" for bringing the petition forward. The Safe Schools Coalition Australia was a group of organisations in Australia focused on LGBTIQ people in schools. Over half of LGBTI kids face discrimination and abuse for their sexual orientation and gender identity, and as a result, LGBTI kids have the highest rates of suicide and suicide attempts in Australia today. [22] However, in January 2017 the council rescinded that support. The parents would probably call the police because it would sound a lot like grooming work that a sexual predator might undertake, Mr Christensen told parliament in 2016. Whatever the original aims of the program were, Safe Schools definitely had some extremely radical elements to it. [1] All lesson plans were found to be consistent with the aims of the program as were all the posters. Review of Appropriateness and Efficacy of the Safe Schools Coalition Ward has received backlash and criticism from conservatives for Marxist and radical ideology, which the activist denies in an op-ed. There is no discussion of the details of specific sex acts, sex aids or sexual health in Safe Schools resources. [29] Content was created by a number of experts in the field. Research found that: 61% of same-sex attracted or gender diverse young people in Australia have experienced verbal abuse; 18% of same-sex attracted or gender diverse young people in Australia have experienced physical abuse; and. 5 Comments. Swinburne University of Technology provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU. In this article, were going to take a deep dive into the Safe Schools program and find out what its about and why it received opposition despite its positive messaging. Please include the statement you would like us to check, the date it was made, and a link if possible. (2018) Safe at school: Education sector responses to violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or sex characteristics in Europe 2018 Dr Jasna Magi Violence at schools based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or sex characteristics occurs everywhere in Europe and is acutely underreported. "[123], In April 2017, it was announced that NSW government will replace the Safe Schools Program with a broader anti-bullying program. Birmingham stated that controversy over the program was "very unhelpful because the debate that seems to be occurring in the public space is one of whether or not we should be teaching inclusiveness and tolerance in our schools". This is a both a disappointing and extremely concerning result. According to the Victoria State Government's Education and Training website, the Safe Schools initiative is a program aimed at educating principals, teachers, and school communities on how to create a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTI students. Your parents will read this: Reading (as) parents in journalistic We aim to provide documents in an accessible format. Teaching manuals, videos, childrens books, and other materials are provided to both school administrators, teachers, and students as well, depending on what the school agrees to take on. [17] The current (as of November 2017) federal government's policy is not to fund the program beyond 2017. Its mission is to create safe and inclusive schools for students, families and staff who are in these groups. Mainly because of cruel religious fanatics and their enablers. Do LGBTIQ students require a more targeted anti-bullying program or can their needs be addressed through broad anti-bullying campaigns? Annastacia Palaszczuk pledged support for Safe Schools during the 2015 Queensland state election but as of March 2016 had not made any announcements. The material, including written content, videos, posters and websites, sought to promote understanding and tolerance of LGBTIQ youth through real-life scenarios and education. FactCheck: does the Safe Schools program contain 'highly explicit There is no requirement to use a unisex or accessible toilet or changing room unless a student makes an active choice to do so.. The Safe Schools Coalition Australia provides resources such as this program as part of The National Safe Schools Framework which deals with the wider causes of bullying. [69] The Safe Schools Coalition dismissed those claims in their entirety. Trans puberty is no different from cis puberty sans an extra pill in most cases and trans students deserve their health education relating to that or is it discrimination. RELATED: Tyrone Unsworth Told Friend Everyone Wants Me Dead The Day Before He Died. It is not a student training service. [13] The new program will have a change of name with the ACT Education Minister saying it, "won't be defined as a program because then that implies that you're delivering a class or a program on something". The Safe Schools program was less about anti-bullying and more specifically about supporting LGBTQIA+ students, which was desperately needed in our schools. The Safe Schools program helps schools foster a safe environment that is supportive and inclusive of LGBTIQ+ students. On 26 February 2016 the Australian Government announced that there would be an independent review of the current resources provided to schools under the Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) Programme. [65], On 11 March 2016 the Review of Appropriateness and Efficacy of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia Program Resources was published. Schools across Australia, from Victoria and NSW to Western Australia, employed the Safe Schools programs teachings in order to create a better learning environment for LGBTI kids. [21] In December 2016 Bega Valley Shire Council voted to support the program. [13] The Liberal National Party has said, in September 2017, if they are elected to form government they will, "dump the Safe Schools program". This was considered a symbolic gesture of solidarity with LBTIQ kids. One of the most controversial parts of the program was the post-modern idea that gender is non-binary and fluid. It was an opt-in program. The contents of the materials centre on educating the trainee on gender and sexual diversity. These groups work is based on extensive empirical research about schools as sites of bullying and harassment for same-sex attracted, trans and gender diverse young people. Through applying Altheide's theories of the 'problem frame' in mass media, articles from the 13 national and capital cities papers were analysed to ascertain the dominant productions . FOI Reference. Let's not lose sight of the facts in the Safe Schools debate [143], The South Australian Education Minister lamented the federal government's response to the successful program,[114] which was launched in that state on 13 June 2014. [15] There are reports that the introduction of the program has reduced the prevalence of homophobic and transphobic language at schools. Discussing queer issues is not discussing sex with students and this very conflation is why bigots remain so ignorant. The safety and well-being of same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students, staff and families. [40] Some schools present no classroom material to students. [1], The review revealed that opponents to the program had made statements that grossly misrepresented and exaggerated the nature of the program. [52], Advocates for the program point to high levels of homophobic abuse, including in school settings, and high levels of school leaving. Education Reviewtakes an in-depth look at the program and asks you the question: What did we learn from Safe Schools? Document. The fact that parental oversight was deliberately undermined, and the fact that there was a strong emphasis on redefining gender, also made this program really unsuitable for schools. The Conversations FactCheck asks academic experts to test claims and see how true they are. Safe Schools Coalition Australia has been funded by the Victorian Government since 2010 and the Australian Government since 2013 to support sexual diversity, gender . [70], A review was announced by the Turnbull Liberal/National Coalition government on 26 February 2016, after Coalition backbenchers George Christensen and Cory Bernardi raised concerns over what they claimed was the "sexualised" nature of the program, and forty-three Coalition backbenchers including former leader Tony Abbott had signed a petition calling for the program's closure. [137][138], In February 2018 a petition against Safe Schools was signed by 16,000 Victorians. The federal government used to provide funding, but it was eventually withdrawn in October 2016. Safe Schools Coalition Victoria alone has supported more than 50 schools to make sure transgender and gender diverse students can be themselves at school. The program provides optional resources for secondary schools, including professional development for teachers and one classroom-level teaching resource, All of Us, designed for Year 7 and 8 students, who are generally aged between 11 and 14. About 30 people, several of whom had their faces covered with bandanas, blocked the entrance to the seminar stopping the majority of the attendees from entering. In the 1980s and 1990s a sexual risk discourse dominated LGBTIQ issues in education policy in Victoria. Ward has received backlash and criticism from conservatives for Marxist and radical ideology, which the activist. Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) Program - Department of What is Safe Schools Coalition? | Swinburne Videos are available to accompany the lessons. Issues relating to the Safe Schools program were raised during the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey debate. 26 February 2016. There is also little evidence to suggest Safe Schools Coalition is indoctrinating students. Again, resources for primary schools do not teach or discuss or reference masturbation, or sex toys. I could have helped, and I didn't, and I regret that. These resources contain stories about how young. Anyone saying the program was indoctrinating innocent children or showcasing wild sexual philosophies is out of touch.. [147] In April 2017 it was reported that Tasmania will scrap its support for the Safe Schools program, replacing it with a comprehensive anti-bullying scheme. Some of the actions taken by the Turnbull government were not recommended in the review. These startling statistics indicate a vital need for a safer learning environment for queer kids at risk of bullying. This article focuses on the journalistic rhetoric surrounding the Safe Schools Coalition Australia. [101][102] Safe Schools activists from the Community Action Against Homophobia group protested outside a similar event in Sydney. Sexuality and gender identity do not appear out of the ether in Year 7.. Some lesson plans for the All of Us classroom resource were amended or removed to ensure they were suitable for all students and appropriate for their target age group. On the issue of bathrooms, it suggested the following: Schools can also consider providing gender-neutral toilet options, which should be accessible to any student who wishes to use them and will help to establish a more inclusive environment for transgender and gender diverse students. The Safe Schools program has been implemented into schools across Australia teaching LGBT gender ideologies to children. At least 1.7% of people are intersex that is: born with physical sex characteristics that dont fit medical norms for female or male bodies. "Trans kids are still doing it tough. [6], The program began in Victorian schools in 2010 and expanded nationwide in 2013 as the first of its kind in Australia. "I should have been a supporter from the start. The resources do not reference masturbation, or teach about sex toys or sex aids. It is not a student training service. The voluntary program gained traction after its success in Victoria and was picked up nationally starting in 2013. How does my school become a safe school? [38] The program runs in every state of Australia and the Australian Capital Territory,[5] and is planned to commence in the Northern Territory. "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." http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org.au/who-we-are Consider what we find on the SSC "Resources" page: [63], On 14 February 2016 the education minister, Simon Birmingham, described the lessons prepared by the coalition as having "reasonable objectives". Teachers can then decide to pass on the information they learned to their students.