The South Australian Education Department has launched an investigation following claims that a presentation given at a regional high school included claims that bestiality was accepted within the LGBTIQA+ communities.
Female students at Renmark High School have reported that teachers asked them to leave their regular classes and attend a special presentation in a separate classroom.
They say teachers then left them to be supervised by two staff members from the mental health organisation Headspace, who in turn introduced a “third-party” presenter who delivered a presentation on relationships.
Speaking to ABC reporter Amelia Walters parents and students shared their alarm about what was included in the presentation.
Parent are outraged that no advance notification was given of the presentation and its content. While the teenage students have shared they were alarmed by the frank conversation which included the presenter speaking about their own sexual preferences.
The allege that presentation included a PowerPoint slide that outlined what the plus symbol in the LGBTIQA+ acronym meant, and it included bestiality and incest in its explanation.
The students say the presenter then went on to explain what bestiality was and claimed it was accepted in the LGBTIQA+ communities.
School says proper procedures were not followed
In a letter to parents the school has said the presentation was supposed to focus on “respectful relationships” and conceded that parents should have been informed in advance.
The Chief Executive of the South Australian Education Department, Professor Martin Westwell, has commented on the incident saying it was “unacceptable” and “should never have happened”. He says his department will thoroughly investigate.
“There is a line and this person went over the line,” he said.
“Where this has been particularly objectionable is where they’ve started to use language and notions like bestiality that have no place in a classroom.
“It is absolutely unacceptable behaviour.” Professor Westwell said.
In a statement to Adelaide Now FocusOne Health board chairman Dr Ian Gartley, the non-profit organisation that runs Headspace, said the speaker had been a “lived experience” speaker engaged by Headspace in the neighbouring town of Berri.
“We are aware of concerns raised by local members of the Renmark community following the presentation,” Dr Gartley said.
“We have taken this feedback seriously and are continuing our work to ensure everything we do is aligned with evidence and best practice and is safe and appropriate for young people.”
