A teacher at an all girls’ school in the UK has reportedly been ‘forced’ to apologise after she addressed a class of 11 year olds with, “Good afternoon girls,”.
According to the British Daily Mail the woman, who was a philosophy and religious education teacher at the school, was told that ‘not everybody here identifies as female’, by her students before being ‘forced’ to apologise in front of the class by the school principal.
The teacher is reported to have asked for anonymity in order to protect the pupils, one of whom is alleged to have stood up in class and demanded that her preferred pronouns be used.
It was also reported that the students wrote a list of their names on the classroom board accompanied with a reference to their preferred pronouns, one of which was ‘they/them’.
The teacher says that the incident led to a disciplinary process being started against her and that the year head stood beside her in front of the class of girls where she was instructed to apologise.
The teacher, who reportedly was not offered an extension on her one term contract at the school after the alleged incident, said that the year head addressed the girls saying, ‘I am sorry you’re upset and we didn’t mean to offend. I’m sorry you felt bad.’ But it was all pretty humiliating and embarrassing.’
She also alleges that the concern over pronouns started at the school shortly after an assembly address on the subject of ‘diversity and inclusion’ was delivered.
The school at the centre of the controversy, which reportedly charges students £20,000 a year, is said to be part of the The Girls’ Day School Trust which updated its police on gender last year to ban applications from biologically male children who identify as female.
The school reportedly declined an invitation to comment on the case.
Loading ...