Radical lobbyist calls for kids to ‘secretly’ film teachers
A controversial Melburnian who made a name for herself during Victoria’s lockdowns has a controversial suggestion for Aussie students.
Parenting
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A new advocacy group is calling on parents to ask their children to record their teachers, observe any “inappropriate” behaviour they may encounter, and assess the sexual education curriculum materials.
According to the group, Parents Taking Charge, which was founded by the controversial, anti-Covid lockdown, anti-vaxxer campaigner Monica Smit, parents should feel empowered to take charge of their children’s education.
In addition to encouraging children to spy on their teachers, the lobby group also urges parents to make appointments with their school principals and demand answers about school policies.
When making a meeting, the website instructs parents to be vague about what it’s about and reaffirm their right to have the appointment.
“Don’t see them as the enemy (yet),” it reads, “a lot of teachers hate the curriculum too but are silenced through fear.”
Parents are also advised to ask if and how often the national anthem is sung and whether Australia Day is referred to as ‘Invasion Day’.
They should also ask how the school handles ‘transitioning’ students and gendered toilets.
“Ask if there are any children in the school that have ‘transitioned’ to another gender,” the website reads, “[and] are there any males going into female toilets or participating in female sports?”
The group then says parents should demand copies of all sexual education material, including handouts, books, exercises and movies.
“ALL material,” it emphasised.
Parents are also told to have an age-appropriate conversation with their children and ask them to report back if they notice anything unusual being taught.
“Give them permission to video-record anything that we can use to expose inappropriate behaviour or material,” it says, before prompting parents to send in their video submissions to the group.
Ms Smit told news.com.au that she was concerned schools were becoming more politically biased and that they should focus on educating children, not indoctrinating them.
“Some schools are providing medical and sexual advice to children without the consent or knowledge of the parents,” Ms Smit said. “I find this abhorrent in every way.”
When asked if she was concerned about the privacy issues related to filming people without their consent, she said she wasn’t.
“It’s 2024, cameras are on everywhere. If schools have nothing to hide then they have nothing to worry about,” she said.
Ms Smit insisted that there was “nothing sneaky or sinister about this project” and reiterated that parents deserve to know what their children are being taught.
She also claimed that many parents have already been gaslighted and ignored when asking genuine questions, and as a result, have resorted to homeschooling.
If a parent is not happy with the material provided by the school and they have declined to remove or alter it, Ms Smit tells them to threaten to take their child out of school.
Parents and teachers have expressed their opinions about the group online, with many saying it was a step too far.
Meanwhile, someone made the point that it was “one way to drive even more teachers away from the profession, and there’s already a dire shortage.”
A Victorian government spokeswoman told the Herald Sun, “Every student has a right to learn in a safe and supportive environment”.
“Mobile phones are banned in schools because we want all our classrooms and school environments to be conducive to learning. Students should not be using them to secretly film students or teachers,” she said.
She said that schools welcome constructive and respectful dialogue with parents and carers and that students should focus on their learning while at school, not the “games of their parents.”
In September this year, Ms Smit was instructed to pay over $200,000 in legal fees after a court found that her arrest during anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne in October 2020 was unlawful.
Ms Smit received $4000 in damages after winning two of her three claims. However, substantial costs were awarded to the Victorian government since she had rejected a pre-trial settlement offer of $15,000.
Ms Smit described the costs as “quite shocking” on her social media, and argued that she was “punished for making a point”.
“Do you think it’s fair for someone from the public to win their case and then have a $200,000 costs order against them? I don’t think people know that this happens. I don’t think that people know that this is the risk people take to stand up to authorities and now they’re going to know.”
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