By Max Maddison
The Parents & Citizens Federation has condemned the plans of some teachers to engage in a week of pro-Palestinian activism in schools, saying parents want children to learn about current affairs as “part of the curriculum, not as an in-classroom protest”.
Materials circulated by Teachers and Support Staff for Palestine call for staff at public and private schools next week to show their support for Palestine and Lebanon during teaching hours through the wearing of keffiyehs, passing motions, or creating a lesson to teach students about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Pro-Palestine protesters in Sydney.Credit: Janie Barrett
After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the expansion of Israel’s assault on Gaza into Lebanon has deepened fissures across NSW, as supporters of Palestine and Israel have accused the other of defending war crimes.
A booklet handed out by Teachers for Palestine criticises the political neutrality stance taken by the Department of Education, saying remaining silent after the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is tantamount to complicity, aligning with what the group alleges is the “pro-Israel position of the NSW government”.
“They determine Education Department policy, which is using the cloak of ‘neutrality’ to take sides,” the brochures states. “Just as we tell students not to be bystanders if they witness bullying, we cannot be bystanders now. In the language of bullying, the Department has gone beyond being bystanders to being active reinforcers, who are preventing others from intervening.”
But P&C Federation NSW chief executive Gemma Quinn said while everyone had the right to protest, the conflict should not be thrust on school children through protest and “must be handled sensitively and in a considered, age-appropriate way”.
“Everyone in Australia has the legal right to protest, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of our children’s education, and the classroom is not the appropriate forum,” she told this masthead. “Parents want their children to learn about current affairs as part of the curriculum, not as an in-classroom protest.”
As justification for Teachers for Palestine’s right to protest, the group pointed to other socio-political issues in which schools engage, such as Harmony Day, Sorry Day, Pride Month, International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women, and fundraisers for the war in Ukraine.
Teachers for Palestine says previous action and resolutions carried out by the NSW Teachers Federation was “starting to shift” the department’s position, noting no school staff faced repercussions “for taking a stand” — although later qualifies that involves keffiyeh or “showing solidarity … through workplace discussions”.
But it asks for anyone who faces requests to remove “keffiyeh, badge, other accessory or item of clothing” to log the incident, saying they believe it was in breach of schools’ anti-racism policy.
A spokesman for the Teachers Federation declined to comment.
Responding to the Liberals during question time in parliament on Thursday, NSW Education Minister Prue Car said any ramifications for “political protests during school hours” were dependent on the code of conduct, and consequently would be “dealt with by the principal or someone in the department”.
Similar plans in Victoria last November were condemned by Education Minister Ben Carroll as “inflammatory” and “divisive” and would “only sow more seeds of disharmony in our community”.
A spokesman for the NSW government reiterated the expectation teachers adhered to the policy of political neutrality “on school grounds or anytime they identify themselves as a NSW public school teacher”.
“Any Department employee, including teachers, who are found to be in breach of the code of conduct will be subject to appropriate action,” he said.
NSW Premier Chris Minns on Thursday said the classroom was not somewhere to bring Middle Eastern conflicts, saying teachers need to be focused on the HSC.
“Politics can wait till … after school, not right in the middle of the classroom,” he said.
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