A LARGE crowd attended a public meeting in Letterkenny regarding the new school curriculum for Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE).
Aontu Leader and TD Peadar Tóibín was the main speaker at the meeting on Tuesday night in the Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny.
The meeting was well attended by around 200 local people including many parents and teachers who were seeking clarity on the new school curriculum for Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) which is currently being introduced to 12-15 year old Junior Cert Students from this September 2023.
The panel of guest speakers included Peadar Tóibín TD, Sandra Adams of the Countess group and Gemma Brolly a Primary School Teacher and Education spokesperson for Aontú.
One of the main focuses of the meeting discussed why teaching children using an ideology to define gender rather than science based facts, was wrong and potentially damaging for the children.
Aontú party leader Mr Toíbín has already voiced his opposition to the proposed SPHE curriculum in the Dáil suggesting that the content of SPHE for young students was “misleading and unscientific”.
The Meath West TD said it would be a massive mistake to go down the route of uniformity with regard to ethos in sex education.
However, speaking at the meeting on Tuesday, he told the crowd, “This is a difficult issue so we should all have respect and compassion in relation to this because gender dysphoria, that feeling that some people get when their gender is not aligned with their sex, that feeling is real in terms of some peoples experience.
“We need to be able to make sure we support people who feel gender dysphoria,” said Mr Tóibín.
Sandra Adams from The Countess discussed the lack of balance in the new teaching and discussed the higher than average co-morbidities that exist within the children who present with gender dysphoria.
She discussed ways to support children presenting with gender dysphoria and quoted peer reviewed evidence which states that 80 per cent of these children, when supported in a non-directed way will grow out of the discomfort they feel with their own bodies.
Gemma Brolly discussed how schools within Northern Ireland are also facing this same onslaught of unscientific ideology being pushed.
Gemma described how teachers and school communities in Northern Ireland are now starting to come together, creating an age appropriate factual, scientific programme using The Flourish Programme as an example.
Teachers there, have also started a petition to say they will not teach it, all it takes is one teacher to start she said.
Donegal representative of Aontu, Mary T Sweeney described why the parents and teachers have a right and a duty that factual and scientific evidence is taught to children.
She suggested one of the main ways to ensure this happens is through participation and representation on the Board of Management in your schools.
Speaking about the issues she said, “I would encourage school communities to network with other schools in their region to remain updated as no-one knows exactly how this will be taught, and it will depend on the teacher teaching it, which may differ from school to school.
“The start of the new school year is the ideal time now to consider who will parents vote for to represent them on the school board.
“Go in person to your local politicians and meet with them and discuss your concerns,” said Ms Sweeney.
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