Australian school exposed students to 'disturbing' sexually explicit content without parental consent, mom says
An Australian mother is weighing legal action after her teenage daughter was exposed to explicit sexual content — including references to bestiality and sibling sex — during a school lesson delivered without parental knowledge or consent, according to a Christian legal advocacy group.
Nicki Gaylard, a mother of six in South Australia, said she is “strongly considering” legal action against the South Australian Department of Education following a presentation delivered to Year 9 girls at Renmark High School in March 2024.
The hour-long session, presented by an external speaker subcontracted through Focus One Health and linked to Headspace, reportedly proceeded without teacher supervision and without prior review of the material, Gaylard said. Her 14-year-old daughter was among the students removed from regular classes to attend the session.
According to ADF International, the lesson exposed students to “highly inappropriate and explicit sexual content” without parental consent, prompting distress among participants and raising concerns about safeguarding, transparency and parental rights within the public school system.
"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,” said Gaylard.
The Christian legal rights firm said the girls were removed from regular lessons and placed into an unsupervised presentation “facilitated by external personnel.” The sessions involved the school pupils being shown sexually explicit material and hearing graphic references that left them distressed and confused, stated ADF International.
The presenter in the session reportedly referred to sexual practices, including bestiality, but warned the girls not to “Google 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.
The school did not inform parents of the content in the session before the girls participated, claimed ADF International. They were not given an opportunity to either consent or withdraw pupils from the session.
With a focus on diversity and acceptance, images on the PowerPoint screen during the lesson shown to the children included “trans bodies,” meaning bodies from the waist-up showing scars from double mastectomies.
Gaylard has now withdrawn her children from the school and is homeschooling them. She explained that she could not risk her youngsters being further exposed to unsupervised and inappropriate sexual content within the school environment.
ADF International said the content had been presented across “multiple schools” by Headspace. The education provider has allegedly refused Gaylard access to view the PowerPoint material herself.
“I am strongly considering taking this case forward because I’m seeking justice for my daughter, who 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,” said Gaylard.
“How can they be happy to show to children what they are ashamed to show to adults? Let children be children.
“I’m also 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.”
Robert Clarke, director of advocacy for ADF International, supporting Gaylard’s case, said parents send their children to school expecting an education and for them to be kept safe, not exposed to explicit sexual content.
“Yet that basic trust was broken,” said Clarke.
“No parent should be kept in the dark about what their child is being taught, and no child should be placed in an unsupervised session dealing with adult themes.
“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.”
The SA Department of Education has acknowledged procedural failures, according to ADF International, confirming that parents were not notified; required vetting processes were not followed; no teacher was present; and an investigation is underway into the third-party presenter.
Education Daily previously reported that in April 2024, SA Education Department Chief Executive Martin Westwell described the presentation content as “unacceptable” and having “no place in a classroom”.
“There is a line, and this person went over the line,” he said, as quoted by Education Daily.
“Where this has been particularly objectionable is where they’ve started to use language and notions like bestiality that have no place in a classroom. It is absolutely unacceptable behaviour.”
Staff did not check the content of the presentation before it was shown to the pupils, according to Education Daily, adding that no teacher had been present.
School Principal Mat Evans reportedly sent a letter of apology to parents at the time. He said the school was taking the matter “very seriously” and announced an interview review.
Focus One Health, the non-profit regional provider, funded by the federal government, has reportedly been suspended from delivering further lessons in schools.
This article was originally published by Christian Daily International.
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