Human Rights breached in state schools with religious scriptures in the hand sign now

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We are (older) parents of a 13 year old grade 8 high school student in QLD, and we are appalled by the state school’s endorsement of the Gideons organised handing out of religious scriptures to all year 8 students.

We have complained to the principal at the Hervey Bay Urangan State High School, Ross Zelow, about such religious advertising, but he has declined any wrongdoing. We have complained to the QLD Education Department’s Director-General, Julie Grantham, who has ruled that she is “satisfied that this complaint has been appropriately dealt with by the principal and does not require any further investigation.” . . . . . Remember, all the principal did was denying any wrongdoing.

We are now in the process of complaining to The Australian Human Rights Commission for breach by both the state school and by Gideons of the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986, Part III, Schedule 2, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18 1-4 (http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2011C00579/Html/Text#_Toc299691087) and we are asking you: Do you want to join us?

The complaint will also be based on the QLD Education Department’s SCM-PR-021: Religious Instruction in School Hours, http://education.qld.gov.au/strategic/eppr/schools/scmpr021/ , which basically states that: “Parents must be informed of the offering of any program or activity with religious content so that they may withdraw consent for their child/ren to participate in that part of the program or activity.”

As you may have guessed, Urangan State High School failed to inform us of the activity during Parade where the religious scriptures were introduced by a speaker and handed out, at every exit of the parade area. Even though our daughter said “No thank-you”, she was handed the scriptures anyway and ended up giving in to the pressure.

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Gitte Linding
Hervey Bay