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One year since his college became the first in Bendigo to join the Safe Schools Coalition, a principal has said the controversial anti-bullying program is offering at-risk LGBTI young people some much-needed support.
Crusoe College principal Brad Madden, whose school signed on to the anti-bullying program in June, 2016, said the program was important because same-sex attracted and gender diverse students were among those “most marginalised and most excluded”.
“It was never about making big changes to the curriculum, or big changes to anyone's identity,” Mr Madden said.
“It was just another way we could support all the students we have here at the school.”
The national Writing themselves in Three study of LGBTI young people found 80 per cent of those who reported being the victim of homophobia experienced the abuse at school.
Mr Madden said the Safe Schools program offered supports to students in the same way programs were put in place to help those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, or students with learning difficulties.
He denied the program sought to sexualise students, one of the allegations speakers raised at the forum.
"There are certain subjects that we run, and all schools run, where there is education around sexual health," he said.
"We're now doing programs on respectful relationships where those things get discussed in an appropriate way."
The respectful relationships curriculum is a Victorian government response to the family violence royal commission.
It is a requirement of the Victorian Curriculum schools offer sexual health and relationships education.
While some members of the community made contact with the school to express concerns, others got in touch to share their approval, Mr Madden said.
All were “measured” in their feedback, he said.
While speakers at the community forum on Tuesday were enraged the program was “forced down the throats” of their children, Mr Madden said students could opt in to most of the Safe Schools activities offered at Crusoe.
"It hasn't become something that’s an issue for the majority of the cohort.”
Castlemaine Secondary College is the closest member school to Crusoe, with secondary colleges in Maryborough, Kyneton and St Arnaud also part of the program.
The Victorian government has committed to instituting the program in all state secondary schools before the end of 2018.