THE principal and all but two of the teachers at Killarney's largest primary school have written to the Department of Education saying they cannot teach Relationships and Sexuality Education to their pupils.
A total of 23 of the 25 teachers at the 500 pupil St Oliver's Primary School, including the principal, Mr Brendan Walshe, say they cannot reconcile RSE with the school's ethos. They do not believe it is possible to "inculcate the ethos of the school into the planning and implementation of the programme".
Yesterday a senior schools inspector and the coordinator of the national RSE programme, Ms Nora Brennan, visited the Co Kerry school to discuss the teachers' concerns.
In their letter, the teachers say: "We believe that the content, language and methodology of the RSE programme is too explicit and not appropriate for the primary school child. It does not take cognisance of the different levels of emotional, linguistic and intellectual maturity of the children in a particular class.
"The RSE programme seeks to impose premature sex education/ information on children. We see this as a violation of a child's right to its childhood and as an encroachment on its natural development. We also believe that this programme is an invasion of the privacy of the child's family life.
"We, as teachers, seek to protect, not exploit or destroy, the unique beauty and innocence of the child. This we hold precious. The RSE programme undermines our educational ideals, which aim to endow the child with the quiet pursuit of wisdom and learning. This programme impoverishes the human spirit. It debases the meaning, mystery and sanctity of human sexuality for the child."
The letter, which is published in full in today's Irish Catholic was also sent to the Bishop of Kerry Dr Bill Murphy, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation and every primary school in the diocese.
Dr Murphy said yesterday he sympathised with some things the teachers objected to, including their complaints that it was "too explicit and too early". There were elements in it he thought unsuitable for primary school children, although he would not be specific about what those were.
He hoped to have in place by September - when the RSE programme is due to be introduced nationally - diocesan guidelines for what is and what is not suitable" in the context of the Catholic Church's teachings.
He emphasised that the programme was not mandatory but rather "a set of guidelines to be taught in each school according to the principles and beliefs of that school", and thus open to modification in line with those principles. Ultimately, it was up to the board of management of each school to decide on "the guidelines they want".
Mr Murphy said a number of other teachers in Kerry had contacted him saying they had "difficulties" with the programme, although no other school in the diocese had expressed the near total opposition found in St Oliver's.
A parents' representative on the school's board of management, Mrs Geraldine Rosney, last night said the school had sent out a circular last week announcing the school's decision, but there had been no proper consultation with the parents yet. The school did not have a parents' council, she said.
She added that she was trying to contact a cross section of parents to organise a meeting to discuss the programme. She herself agreed with some elements of it, but thought other parts were too advanced for primary school children. She personally would prefer sex education to begin at the age of 11 or 12.