An Australian mother is “strongly considering” legal action against the South Australian Department of Education after a group of children were exposed to explicit sexual content during a lesson at school without the knowledge or consent of their parents.
Alliance Defending Freedom International is reporting that Nicki Gaylard is “strongly considering” legal action against the South Australian Department of Education after a presentation delivered at the co-educational institution, Renmark High School in March 2024 to year 9 girls.
Her 14-year-old daughter was among the students removed from regular classes to attend a session led by an external speaker subcontracted through Focus One Health and linked to digital mental health company Headspace.
The speaker, according to Gaylard, proceeded without the supervision of a teacher and without previous review of the presentation’s contents to expose students to “highly inappropriate and explicit sexual content”.
“I’m looking to take this forward for the sake of other kids across the country who shouldn’t have to go through what my daughter went through; and for all the parents who should never be sidestepped in this way. That is, after all, our right and our duty as parents – and school authorities should respect our authority to determine what’s appropriate for our kids,” said Gaylard.
She also said that she is in search of justice for her daughter, who she says was “deeply affected” by what she saw that day.
“ Her childhood was shortened through exposure to completely inappropriate material that headspace won’t even let me see,” she said.
The ADF International reports that the girls were placed into an unsupervised presentation which lasted for an hour, “facilitated by external personnel,” where the students were shown sexually explicit material and heard graphic references that left them distressed and confused. The presenter in the session reportedly spoke of sexual practices, including bestiality, but warned the girls not to research it.
“The presentation also included people who have sex with siblings, with presenters using the terms ‘sister love’ and ‘brother love,’” stated the ADF international press release.
There was also an emphasis on diversity and acceptance, with images in the PowerPoint presentation shown to the children included “trans bodies,” meaning bodies from the waist-up showing scars from double mastectomies.
ADF International says that the girls’ parents were not allowed an opportunity to consent or withdraw their daughters from the session. In addition, the non-profit organization reports that the content was presented across “multiple schools” by Headspace.
Gaylard has opted to withdraw her children from the institution and is homeschooling them. She said that she could not risk her youngsters being further exposed to such content while in the school environment. In addition, the organization reportedly refused to show her the presentation when she requested to see its contents.
“How can they be happy to show to children what they are ashamed to show to adults? Let children be children.”
Robert Clarke, Director of Advocacy for ADF International, said parents send their children to school with the expectation that they would receive an education and for them to be kept safe, instead of being exposed to explicit sexual content.
“Sadly, Nicki’s case is an example of a larger pattern. Increasingly, parents are discovering that radical approaches to sex education — often shaped by internationally-developed curricula and promoted by activist groups at the national level — are being quietly rolled out. This case is about drawing a firm line: parental rights matter, transparency matters, and safeguarding children is not optional.”