A Christian mother-of-two has been sacked from her job at a UK school because she objected to the teaching about homosexuality and transsexualism at her son’s primary school.
Kristie Higgs, 43, urged parents on her Facebook page to sign a petition against proposed compulsory Relationships Education in primary schools in England that cater for children aged four to eleven, reported the Daily Mail on 15 April.
She said the lessons destroy “freedom of belief” and “brainwash” children. “This is a vicious form of totalitarianism aimed at suppressing Christianity and removing it from the public arena,” she wrote.
Farmor’s School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, a secondary school for pupils aged eleven to 18 where Higgs worked as a pastoral assistant for six years, received a single anonymous email complaint that accused her of “posting homophobic and prejudiced views”.
A disciplinary panel found her guilty of gross misconduct because there was “potential” for the school’s reputation to be harmed. Higgs plans to challenge the decision at an employment tribunal.
The Church of England primary school attended by Higgs’ son has adopted the “No Outsiders” teaching programme, which includes material on gender identity, same-sex couples and sexual orientation, said the Daily Mail. This programme led up to 600 parents at a primary school in a mainly Muslim area of Birmingham keeping their children at home in March in protest.
Barnabas Fund launched its Your Child. Your Choice. campaign on 4 March objecting to new regulations for Relationships and Sex Education in English schools, which, if approved, are due to come into force in 2020. The House of Commons voted to pass the new regulations on 27 March, and the issue will be debated in the House of Lords on 24 April .
