The Project: Citipointe Christian College teacher Helen Clapham Burns quits over LGBT controversy

A devastated teacher at Citipointe Christian College has abruptly quit her job as controversy swirls around the school.

A teacher at Citipointe Christian College has quit her job over the school’s recent enrolment contract controversy.

The Carindale school in Queensland sent out an updated contract for parents to sign ahead of students returning to school.

The contract states the school can terminate a child’s enrolment if they do not identify with their birth gender.

The contract has sparked major outrage, with more than 32,400 people signing a Change.org petition calling for the changes to the document to be reversed.

Helen Clapham Burns was, until Monday, an English teacher at the school. But after the controversy sparked, she felt she could no longer represent a school with such views.

Speaking on Monday’s edition of The Project, Mrs Burns said she had been forced to move her teenage son to a different school on the eve of his senior years at high school.

“I am having to blow my son’s world apart because he’s not going to get to do Year 11 and 12 with his mates. I have to find him a new school and that’s what I was doing this morning. Saturday and Sunday, the realisation hit me that not only could I not sign that as a parent,” she said.

“I couldn’t agree to be a teacher in a school that had that vocabulary and language around some of the most vulnerable kids that we interact with.”

Project host Carrie Bickmore asked what specifically about the document was so upsetting.

Helen Clapham Burns said she's had to 'blow her son's world apart' by moving him to a different school.

“So it was the vocabulary around the children presenting with gender issues. As an educator, my priority is to make sure that each child that I interact with feels safe, but when a child tells us, with tears in their eyes, that they don’t feel safe, what are we doing?” Mrs Burns continued.

“And in fact in that documentation it says that both at the beginning of enrolment and during enrolment, if they don’t adhere to this we terminate the enrolment. I can’t work for an organisation that does that to kids.”

Mrs Burns said life for LGBT kids in a Christian environment was inherently tough, saying “It’s tough enough being a teenager as it is, without thinking you are going to hell”.

“The extra element of being a queer kid in a Christian environment is you think you‘re going to hell for eternity. I don’t even know how you walk through the day with that,” she said.

The Carindale school sent out an updated contract for parents to sign ahead of students returning to school.

The teacher said she was heartbroken at having to say goodbye to her seniors on what was her unexpected final day at the school.

“I taught online today, I taught senior English online, 1984, we started it, and as I was saying goodbye to them, I don’t know if this is the last time I’m going to see them,” she continued. “I’m heartbroken. I feel like I’ve let them down. That I’m having to leave.

“But I have to let those queer kids know that there are Christians out there that love them and aren’t hiding behind Bible verses and are letting them know that they are safe with me.”

Helen Clapham Burns says she couldn't continue working at the controversial school.

The contract has sparked outrage since coming to light, with a Change.org petition started by Bethany Lau rapidly gaining support.

“Citipointe is using their religious beliefs to openly discriminate against queer and trans students, as well as threatening to take away their education,” the petition states.

“Sign the petition to show Citipointe that we will not stand for such blatant transphobia and homophobia.”

Ms Lau told The Courier Mail she started the contact to stand up for queer and trans children who are going to be made to feel “less than human” because of this contract.

“I hope they feel less alone and they know that there are lots of people on their side and I ultimately hope that Citipointe recalls the amendment to their contract because it is inhumane,” she said.

Citipointe Christian College Principal, Pastor Brian Mulheran released a statement on Saturday night saying the school has always held these Christian beliefs and they were trying to be “fair and transparent to everyone in our community” by making them clear in the enrolment contract.

“Citipointe does not judge students on their sexuality or gender identity and we would not make a decision about their enrolment in the College simply on that basis.”

However, Mr Mulheran’s statement appears contradictory with the contract, which clearly states the school has the right to “exclude a student from the College who no longer adheres to the College’s doctrinal precepts” – which includes those around biological sex.

The principal went on to claim that the school “unequivocally” loves and respects all people “regardless of their lifestyle and choices, even if those choices are different to our beliefs and practice”.

Originally published as The Project: Citipointe Christian College teacher Helen Clapham Burns quits over LGBT controversy