Executive misleads parents in ‘smutty sex lessons’ row

The Institute today dismisses wilfully misleading statements from the Executive made to the Scotsman and other Scottish Newspapers.

CLAIM 1: The Executive have claimed that Taking Sex Seriously is out of print,

But anyone contacting the publishers is told that there was a major reprint in 1999 under the new title of “Safe and Sound”. The same appalling lessons are found in the reprint. In any case the earlier edition is easily available from Lothian Health Promotion Library (the lead board for the Executive’s Healthy Respect Programme).

CLAIM 2: Yesterday, a spokesman for the Executive said the guidelines were developed after consulting with parents groups, teachers and other concerned parties.

But The Institute points out that the resources list is in the Executive’s guide for teachers and managers not the guidelines. It is nonsense to claim that parents were consulted about the use of Taking Sex Seriously.

CLAIM 3: The Executive has claimed that the explicit lessons will never be put in front of ordinary pupils. However, Taking Sex Seriously states that the pages are designed to be photocopied for handouts. Detailed lesson plans are given throughout the book.

Clearly safeguards are needed since some teachers have now been quoted as supporting the lessons. But the Executive have failed to provide the safeguards they promised. Indeed it is its own recommended resources which is causing all the trouble.

It has also emerged today that that Fife Council promotes Taking Sex Seriously even for primary schools. Orkney council say the book is a “core resource”. Borders Council recommend The Primary Sex and Relationships Pack. They ask teachers to use the specific pages where primary school teachers are advised about putting condoms on artificial penises.

CLAIM 4: Jack McConnell has said that “Parents need have no fear that any inappropriate material will enter Scottish classrooms”.

But it emerged today in an interview in the Dundee Courier that even an Education Ministry Spokesman admits that group sex and homosexual role play will be taught in ‘extreme’ circumstances. We believe there are absolutely no circumstances in which group sex should be taught. To admit that homosexual role play will be used to counter ‘homophobia’ is a flagrant breach of the promises made during the Section 28 debacle.

However, in a further embarrassment to the Executive, Edinburgh City Council confirmed that resources on the recommended list were already in use in some schools.

Speaking today, Director of The Christian Institute, Colin Hart, said:

“The Executive seem to be digging themselves into an unsupportable position. First they say these resources will not be used in classrooms, then they say only in ‘extreme’ situations.

“Then the Executive tries to reassure parents that teachers won’t let these resources into the classroom. If that is true, why recommend them in the first place? It seems that the Executive is passing the buck to teachers.

Taking Sex Seriously is irredeemably bad. The book has no place in schools.”