Sherwood Ridge Primary School allows students to opt out of Anzac Day service

The Education Minister has condemned the actions of a Sydney primary school that allowed students to opt out of an Anzac Day service, saying the decision “should not” have been made.

The Education Minister has condemned the actions of a Sydney primary school that allowed students to opt out of an Anzac Day service, sparking outrage among parents and veterans, saying the decision “should not” have been made.

Sherwood Ridge Primary School principal Jody Sullivan sent an email to parents last week saying parents could let teachers know if they didn’t want their children to attend a special ANZAC service and assembly on April 10.

The state government school in Kellyville in Sydney’s Hills District is holding the event on an earlier date due to school holidays.

The move, labelled as an “insult” to families of veterans, was to accommodate a small number of Christian students, who don’t “commemorate war”.

The Daily Telegraph understands some of the students belong to the fundamentalist Christianity group, commonly referred to as the “Exclusive Brethren”.

Sherwood Ridge Public School is allowing students to opt out of the Anzac Day service in order to accommodate a small number of Christian students. Picture: Google

In a statement on Wednesday morning, Education Minister and Deputy Premier Prue Car said all schools are expected to “respect (the) tradition” of Anzac Day.

“Anzac Day is a day to honour our veterans and pay our respects to servicemen and women, past and present,” she said.

“Schools should respect this tradition as well.

“The principal should not have sent out that email to the school and the Secretary will be speaking to her this morning.

“The Education Secretary has made it clear that he expects all our schools to commemorate Anzac Day, recognising the brave men and women who fought for the freedoms we all enjoy.”

There are about 640 students enrolled at the school.

Former Veterans Affairs Minister David Elliott said he was left “speechless” by the move, claiming it was an “insult to the families of the 100,000 who died for this country”. Picture: Tim Hunter.

A small cohort of less than a dozen students belonging to Christian faith communities will undertake supervised learning-related activities during the special assembly.

The school received requests from a small number of parents this year and last for their children not to attend the commemoration assembly in line with their faith and personal beliefs.

But the school then made the decision to allow all families the option to opt out. The school later acknowledged a message sent to the broader school community should have been sent to specific families only.

Veteran Michael Benyk, who served in the navy during the Vietnam War between 1968-69, said the decision to allow students to opt-out of the service was “wrong”.

“I think it’s very important for Australian students to learn about their forefathers and the sacrifice they’ve gone through,” Mr Benyk said.

“If you don’t learn from the past, you have a tendency to repeat the same mistakes in the future.”

The Education Minister has now intervened, calling on all schools to “respect the tradition” of Anzac Day.

Dozens of parents have also expressed anger on several NSW school Facebook groups, saying the day was integral for educating students about Australian history.

“I’m disgusted,” one mother said.

“To acknowledge what our forefathers fought for, to ensure we’re a country that remains free is to be respected.”

Another parent said: “Anzac Day is part of the Australian history curriculum. It’s not glorifying war, it’s teaching students to honour those who fought for our and their freedom.”

Former Veterans Affairs Minister David Elliott said he was left “speechless” by the move.

“It really is an insult to the families of the 100,000 who died for this country,” Mr Elliott said.

“They can’t opt out of their mourning, so I don’t know why anyone would want to opt out of this.

“I’m calling on the Premier to swiftly intervene.”

Former Commando and RSL NSW President Mick Bainbridge said Anzac Day was one of the “most significant days” on the national calendar.

“It’s important to understand that Anzac Day is not a celebration of war; in fact, Anzac Day commemorates the horrors of war and ensures the sacrifices of those who served and died are never forgotten,” Mr Bainbridge said.

“The democratic freedoms we, as a nation, hold dear today are largely built on their service and sacrifice.

“That includes the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief, which, ironically, some parents are relying on to deny their children the opportunity to learn about the importance of Anzac Day.”

NSW Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar said he expected all schools to commemorate Anzac Day with memorial ceremonies each year.

“I’m also proud that our students represent their schools at community Anzac Day events, wearing their uniforms as they march with our returned service men and women,” he said.

“Importantly, our students are required to learn about the importance of Anzac Day and the sacrifice our service men and women made, and continue to make, as part of their regular day-to-day lessons.”

Dr Bella d’Abrera, Director of the Foundations of Western Civilisation program at the Institute of Public Affairs, said: “Anzac Day does not glorify war, rather it is a poignant time of remembrance to reflect upon on the sacrifice our servicemen and women have made to ensure our freedom.”