Gideons in public schools.

[Lilith]

Originally Posted by Logic please

I have a suggestion, if I may :

I'm not sure that I'd want to connote any suggestions of "activism", which someone might defensively read as "troublemaking".

Perhaps consider a replacement for the bolded bit along the lines of "Given Ron William's well-publicised case, and the issues raised by this...". Sounds more factual and well-informed, methinks.

Overall, a bloody good letter, IMHO. Hope it goes well.

Yeah, that sentence scratched a bit at my brain. I'll go play around with the lettermagnets on my fridge with a cup of milo and see if I can't make it prettier.

[DanDare]

The problem with complaining according to department of ed. rules is that all complaints are absorbed by at least the regional level. Although there are hundereds of complaints we can still get arsewipes like Peter Garret saying "I haven't received any complaints about this..." implying that nothing is actually happening, no action required.

This has been a concerted, structural effort to prevent parents being able to make a fuss. And we always get pinned against trying to protect our kids from the backlash.

What can we do about this that is better?

Oh and Andy, schools should not allow zealots access to our kids, and they are forbidden by law to hand out sectarian materials (guess what the bible is).

[DanDare]

Originally Posted by The Irreverent Mr Black

A FIRIS or other-organisation public register of complaints, web-accessible, with only names withheld?

Excellent idea.

[Annie]

+ 1 to that.


Tapa GACing

[Lilith]

Okay, so tonight I got a response.. (Details disguised, obviously, my bolding)

Dear Mrs Lilith

Mrs <Principal> forwarded me your email regarding the visit to the school from the Gideon society. I wanted to write to you to clarify what happened. Every year the school Chaplain organises for the group to come to the school to offer students a bible if they want one. Our school Chaplain has recently left us (YAY) and this task was undertaken by the Year Coordinator. Some representatives from Gideon came to our Year 8 assembly. They spoke very briefly. They told students that they were the group responsible for supplying bibles to hotels (the ones you find in the bedside tables) and that they had published it in over 100 languages. They did not go into any extended conversation about how the bible can help them.

I was at this assembly, so I spoke to the Year 8s and informed them that if they wanted a copy of the bible they could take one at the end of the assembly but they did not have to do so. I particularly pointed out that I didn’t want to see them around the school as litter. No student was forced to take one and this was made very clear to the students.

I take your point in regards to having prior warning about the visit from the Gideon Society and in future I will request the Chaplain/Year Coordinator advertise this in the form of a letter home or through the school newsletter.

Thank you for your email.

Kind regards
<Vice Principal>

A big awesome YAY that the chaplain in the school is gone - I reeeally hope that it's for good. In my response I want to put something about why they choose to have a chaplain instead of a secular welfare worker, and do they know that that is an option? (Yes, I realise that it's probably SU that will be providing the welfare worker anyways, but it's still a step forward to have them not be 'chaplains', I think)..
As these responses usually go, it's pretty good - she's admitted that prior warning should have been given and taken on board the need to give it in the future. I'm pleased with that .. It's carefully worded, but not defensive or the big "Go away, heathen!" which is what I would have got from their last school.
I don't understand why the school coordinator would be arranging for an evangelical group to come and hand out religious material to students.. I want to question this, but I'm unsure how to do it without pushing my luck and going from an assertive parent to a pain-in-their-butts that they transpose to my sprogget. I'd really like to know if this pro-active coordinator is going to be organising similar occasions for folk to come and hand out the Koran and Talmud too.. :P
I think that to keep the ground that she's just offered there, I should probably say "Thanks for the response, a letter of notice in the future would be much appreciated. Cheers." and leave it at that for now. I'm really torn between wanting to speak up and let them know that it's not okay to hand out bibles in assembly, notice or not, and not rocking the boat for my son - he's so happy there.. Finally a school where he's settled and making friends and engaged in academic pursuits!

The complaints register and a FIRIS-like group for Qld is a great idea. I'll put my hand up to be involved. I'll write some ideas down for Friday night, Annie, maybe you guys can help me with brainstorming and stuff? Dan, are you coming out with us on Friday night?

[Sieveboy]

Some good news there Lilith, it sounds like the Principle is receptive to your request and wishes to deal with you honorably. Just some thoughts, the co-ordinator was probably contacted by the Gideons rather than the other way around and this was arranged and organised that way rather than the co-ordinator contacting the Gideons. As for the chaplain, they probably only had the choice of taking the chaplain, previously they didn't have the secualr choice as it only became and option a few years ago. Still progress on your part and maybe some subtle clue about student attitudes to authority when the rubbish point was made

[Annie]

Originally Posted by Lilith

I'll write some ideas down for Friday night, Annie, maybe you guys can help me with brainstorming and stuff? Dan, are you coming out with us on Friday night?

I'll bring the butchers paper and permanent markers.

Oh, happy birthday Lilith!!!! Hope it's a great day!

Wut? .




Tapa GACing

[Lilith]

@Sieveboy - Yes.. it's a very good result! .. I didn't think that the gideons would need much encouraging to come - just the way she wrote it, as though the task of organising them to come was a regular one and this year it had fallen on the coordinator.
I think maybe I will attend the next couple of P&C meetings and see if I can dig up where the chaplain went and put the suggestion forth that a secular worker next would be nice.


@Annie.. awwww, thanks! I actually forgot that it was my birthday - it wasn't until I read my email and got the afa forum happy birthday email just now that I remembered. lol

[Logic please]

Good result Lilith, kudos.

And happy birthday to you.

[Lilith]

Thanks, LP