Over 40,000 teachers have said they would risk being dismissed from their jobs by refusing to teach children about same-sex ‘marriages’ in schools.
According to a new ComRes poll released this week, one in ten teachers said they would refuse to cover same-sex ‘marriages’ in their lessons, while 74,000 — one in six — said they “wouldn’t be happy about it.”
Poisonous atmosphere
Responding to the survey, Campaign Director for the Coalition for Marriage, Colin Hart, said: “As this recent poll shows, tens of thousands of teachers face the real prospect of being disciplined, or sacked, over the Government’s proposals to redefine marriage, creating a poisonous atmosphere in every staffroom in every school.
“The legislation contains no safeguards for those who work in the public sector.
“The quadruple lock is not sustainable and instead of answering these questions the PM plans to ram this bill through Parliament in just a few months, including having to appoint 50 new peers to ensure the measure is not rejected by the Lords.”
Michael Gove
Education Secretary Michael Gove has reportedly admitted that teachers and churches could face legal challenges if they refuse to endorse same-sex ‘marriages’.
It is claimed that the admission was made in a private conversation with the President of Mr Gove’s Surrey Heath Conservative Association, Geoffrey Vero.
Concerned
Speaking on the John Pienaar show on Radio 5 Live, Mr Vero said: “I’ve discussed this matter with Michael Gove on a number of occasions and we are concerned that this legislation has consequences.”
“I think it has consequences for teachers, I think it has consequences for parents and children, and although Michael says in the Mail today that he has total confidence in the legislation, well that’s not what he told me only a week ago when I met him in Parliament.”
With regards to the position of the Church of England, Mr Vero said: “Although they talk about the quadruple lock, we don’t have total confidence that that is going to stand the test of time.”
In response, Mr Gove’s office said that the minister did not think that teachers would face legal challenges - but it did not deny Mr Vero’s version of events.
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