Parents from The Illawarra Grammar School have spoken out against a hiring directive that requires the next principal to sign a statement saying marriage is only between a man and a woman.
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Current principal of the private school in Wollongong, NSW, Judi Nealy, will step down at the end of this year, and her successor will be required to sign a "Statement of Personal Faith" that includes a recently added clause rejecting same-sex marriage.
This requirement and its implications for same-sex couples and LGBTQIA students at the school was debated at the Parents and Friends Association meeting last week, and has prompted one family to withdraw their daughter from the school.
But the school council, which is responsible for hiring the new principal according to diocese rules, has told parents, "the new principal will continue to champion the values of inclusion, diversity and respect, and that TIGS is, and always will be, a school that is welcoming to all".
Wollongong mother Nadine Porter said she was so concerned when made aware of the requirement - brought in at schools run by the conservative Anglican Diocese of Sydney following the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia - that she moved her daughter to a different school because she believed the policy was discriminatory.
"The very act of saying that marriage should be only between a man and a woman is essentially saying that any queer person or LGBTQIA person is not normal," she said.
"We see that schools are one of those arenas where if they are not supported, it can lead to very dire mental health outcomes. I didn't want to be a part or support any institution that does that."
Ms Porter, who is not religious, said she had been aware of the school's Anglican affiliations when enrolling her daughter, but had been led to believe that there would not be a big emphasis on faith.
"The biggest thing I can teach my daughter is to be a kind and inclusive citizen, and if I was to let her stay in a school like that, in my opinion, I'm saying it's okay to say that you're only normal if you're a heterosexual," she said.
"I do not want my daughter to have those values, particularly in a time of increasing hate towards the LGBTQIA community."
Responding to these concerns, chair of TIGS council Professor Anthony Okely said the school was "a diverse and welcoming community".
He said the signing of the Statement of Personal Faith by the principal was required by the Synod Governance Policy of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Sydney, and was therefore also a requirement of TIGS constitution.
"Some parents raised concerns at the [parents and friends] meeting last week about section 2(d) of the Statement of Personal Faith [which refers to marriage], which was included in 2019 by the Diocesan Synod," Prof Okely said.
He said he had attended the meeting, acknowledged the concerns of parents, and was following them up with the school council.
"Follow-up consultation is occurring this week with the Bishop of Wollongong and has occurred with the Archbishop of Sydney and with the Chair of the relevant Committee of the Diocese," he said.
"We understand that all parents are concerned that their children should be treated with equality and respect and are committed to this continuing at TIGS."
A letter on the issue written by a parent in a same-sex relationship considered at last week's meeting said the statement about marriage was harmful to the school and its students.
"While we are supportive of the school's Christian ethos and it is one of the reasons we chose TIGS for our children, there are three key reasons why I believe the requirement that the new principal affirms that marriage is only between a man and a woman is the wrong approach and harmful to the school," the letter, seen by the Mercury, said.
The parent said they knew of one candidate who had withdrawn their application because of the requirement to sign and were concerned it would "reduce the pool" of candidates.
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They were also worried it was out of step with mainstream views in Australia and the Illawarra, and said their most pressing concern was that the clause was in conflict with the school's requirement to provide the best pastoral care to students.
"The new principal's view on marriage will not be relevant to their capacity to provide educational, pastoral, and administrative leadership and so it should not be part of the recruitment process," the letter said.
"Being welcoming and inclusive in this instance means not making statements that alienate and demean one part of the TIGS community and it means not making statements that tell my children their parents' relationship is of less value than the relationship of their friends' parents."
Prof Okely said there had been "exceptionally strong interest" in the role of principal and that "being clear what the school stands for has proved to be an advantage during the recruitment process".
He added that the statement of personal faith requirement did not apply to other staff, and that all students were welcome.
"The school is diverse and inclusive with an open enrolment policy which means all students are welcome at TIGS," he said.
"We value each individual and have a strong ethic towards inclusion, support and proactive education. We are committed to continuing this at the School under a new principal. TIGS cares for and protects every student and does not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment."
Australia's Sex Discrimination Act bans discrimination on sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or relationship status or pregnancy but provides religious schools an exemption, allowing them to discriminate against students and hire or fire staff based on their sexual orientation.
In 2018, TIGS came under fire from past and present students when Ms Nealy signed a letter, along with other Anglican school principals, calling on federal MPs to uphold these legal exemptions.
In the 2022 election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised to "protect teachers from discrimination at work, while maintaining the right of religious schools to preference people of their faith in the selection of staff".
The Australian Law Reform Commission is currently conducting an inquiry on religious educational institutions and is due to make a final report to the Attorney-General in December.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
