Renmark High School apologises after respectful relationships session exposed concept of bestiality

Young Riverland teenagers were made so uncomfortable by the graphic topics raised during an unsupervised sex education program that they made up excuses to flee the room.

A Riverland school has launched an investigation after parents complained that their children were exposed to the concept of bestiality during a “confronting” respectful relationships session.

Some teen girls reportedly felt so uncomfortable that they asked to go to the toilet and never returned to the classroom.

The session was run by an outside speaker and no school staff member was present to supervise.

In a letter to parents, Renmark High School principal Mat Evans apologised that the school also did not notify parents about the presentation ahead of time.

It was delivered to a class of Year 9 girls on Friday, March 22, by a speaker engaged by headspace Berri, a mental health organisation operated by non-profit FocusOne Health.

The Advertiser has been told that during the session there was discussion about incest (sexual contact between biological family members) and bestiality (illegal sexual contact between humans and animals).

Teen girls reportedly felt so uncomfortable that they asked to go to the toilet and never returned to the classroom. Picture: File/Generic

Mr Evans said the school was “taking this matter very seriously” and had “raised concerns” about the speaker, who has been suspended from operating in government schools while the Education Department investigates.

A government spokeswoman said students had been offered extra counselling.

Parents of students who took part, and the opposition, have criticised the content of the session, lack of supervision by school staff and the fact the school did not seek parental consent for students to attend.

Kristy Wundenberg said her daughter, 14, found the session “confronting” and “aggressive” and it raised topics they had not yet discussed as a family.

“They weren’t ready for half that content,” Ms Wundenberg told The Advertiser.

“It was gut-wrenching to have the innocence of my 14-year-old taken away.”

Ms Wundenberg said her daughter told her the speaker swore repeatedly during the presentation and showed “graphic” images of adults who had undergone transgender transformation surgery.

Some of the teenagers were so uncomfortable that they asked to be excused to go to the toilet and did not return.

“It was the kids’ way of trying to get out of that room,” she said.

The Advertiser understands another mother has removed her three children from Renmark High School, including one daughter who attended the session.

Opposition education spokesman John Gardner, a former education minister, said he had also been told some students had “asked to go to the toilet so they could get out of the session”.

“Schools have a duty of care to students. Clearly the school should have had a teacher present,” Mr Gardner said.

“It’s really important for parents to be advised in advance about sessions like this and it’s really disappointing that that didn’t happen in this case.

“The government needs to make sure that those rules are very clearly understood so that a situation like this can be rectified at the time, if it ever happens again.”

In a statement provided to The Advertiser FocusOne Health board chairman Dr Ian Gartley explained that “a lived experience speaker engaged by headspace Berri delivered a presentation to students at Renmark High School on LGBTQIA+ and respectful relationships”.

Renmark High School. Picture: File

“We are aware of concerns raised by local members of the Renmark community following the presentation,” Dr Gartley said.

“We have taken this feedback seriously and are continuing our work to ensure everything we do is aligned with evidence and best practice and is safe and appropriate for young people.”

The federal government funds headspace services.

Mr Evans said the school had launched an internal review because the “normal procedure regarding notifying parents ahead of specific presentations was not followed”.

“I apologise unreservedly for that,” Mr Evans wrote in his letter to parents, dated March 25.

“I acknowledge that some of the students felt uncomfortable with this content, and there have been a number of complaints from parents.

“I’d like to thank those parents for raising these concerns with me directly and apologise to those families.”

Mr Evans’ letter told parents that the internal review would “ensure that processes around such notifications, and procedures with regard to third parties attending at our school are always met in future”.

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Originally published as Renmark High School apologises after respectful relationships session exposed concept of bestiality