Edmund Rice Education apologises over ‘confronting’ St Kevin’s student survey

An apology has been issued to St Kevin’s students over a survey which asked boys if “men are always ready for sex” and whether they used condoms.

St Kevin’s College has apologised to students and parents over a “confronting” survey. Picture: Erik Anderson

The St Kevin’s College governing body has apologised to parents, students and staff over a survey that asked Catholic school boys about sex, drugs and condoms.

The survey was distributed last month to students at eight other schools, but was pulled by St Kevin’s following an outcry from parents and students.

A letter emailed on Monday afternoon from Edmund Rice Education Australia executive director Dr Craig Wattam said more sensitive consultation with the St Kevin’s community was required given the contents of the survey.

“I take responsibility for the fact that we could have engaged more sensitively with the St Kevin’s community to ensure that this project was undertaken at the most appropriate time, and with the most appropriate consultation and preparation,” he wrote.

“Importantly, I offer my apology to the families and students who have felt let down by the process and delivery of the survey. While the project aims to address the important topic of masculine behaviours, we have been challenged at EREA to consider the context of each school and to carefully assess their readiness to engage in such projects.”

Mr Wattam thanked the students who “informed staff at the time that they found some of the questions in the survey challenging and confronting”.

The survey also asked a range of questions about the pressure young males feel to be a “real man”, whether they would be happy having a gay friend, and how often they took drugs, drank and vaped.

“I would like to acknowledge that approaching topics regarding self-concept, behaviours and attitudes, sex, and drug use, is always sensitive. It can be confronting, challenging and uncomfortable,” Mr Wattam wrote.

“I believe though that it is important that we must find ways to respectfully tackle these issues in a society where the call for proactive education on respect, consent education, and masculinity has never been louder.”

Mr Wattam said the college was “working hard to develop an appropriate Respectful Relationships program guided by a well informed and skilled team, who work in collaboration with key stakeholders including Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools, the Department of Education and other experts in the field”.

The apology comes as a recent St Kevin’s cultural review found evidence of a continuing “toxic” and “misogynistic” culture at the school.

Only six in ten students and parents felt the school “would take the appropriate steps to respond if they needed to report inappropriate behaviours at school”.