Multi-denominational patron body Educate Together has said it believes it is not appropriate for a religious-run organisation to deliver Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in Educate Together schools.
The organisation was commenting as parents at one of its schools in Dublin demonstrated this evening at the school management’s decision to invite Catholic marriage agency Accord in to deliver the programme.
The protest outside Castleknock Educate Together took place this evening to coincide with a talk for parents given by Accord, which was established by the Catholic bishops, in advance of their RSE workshop with children at the school next month.
In a statement Educate Together said while it did not have the authority to require schools under its patronage to deliver the programme in any specific way it would be writing to all of those schools to ask them to ensure that the subject is delivered in a way that is "consistent with its ethos and free from religious bias".
It said it had been contacted by parents and "takes this issue very seriously".
Referring to parents at Castleknock Educate Together school, it said its national office was currently looking at all options "in its capacity as a school patron to support the school community involved".
It said wanted to stress that the contracting of external agencies by a school was a matter for the board of management of an individual school.
Last week, parents at Castleknock Educate Together school in Dublin said they were vehemently opposed to the decision and called on the school’s management to rescind the invitation.
Parents had been informed that Accord would deliver the programme to fifth and sixth class pupils in mid-June.
In a letter to school principal Aedín Ní Thúathail, the chair of the school’s Parent Teacher Association said: "It is difficult to see how [an organisation] funded by the Catholic church and with a clear religious ethos could ever have been deemed ‘fit for purpose’ to deliver the RSE programme in an Educate Together school".
The letter was sent in March before the decision to contract the Catholic organisation was formally made.
In the letter Chairperson Ciaran Browne asked the school principal not to proceed. He said he and other parents firmly believe that the decision is not in keeping with the principles of Educate Together.
