The video in question, “Why doesn’t international law apply to the West?” sourced from the YouTube channel.
Michael Gencher | Australian Jewish News | August 1, 2024
The recent incident at Davidson High School on Sydney’s Northern Beaches has shocked and horrified parents, educators and community leaders alike. A year 10 commerce teacher, Bendeguz Devenyi-Botos, used his platform as a teacher to expose students to pro-Hamas propaganda, showcasing a blatant misuse of his position and a dangerous infiltration of biased, inflammatory, antisemitic and anti-Israel content into the classroom. This event underscores a grave issue within our education system: the unchecked inclusion of external, ideologically driven materials into public school curricula.
The video in question, “Why doesn’t international law apply to the West?” sourced from the YouTube channel ‘Second Thought’, is rife with antisemitic rhetoric and dangerous misinformation. It falsely depicts Israel as a “genocidal, apartheid regime” and accuses Israeli snipers of “executing” children. Such content is not just offensive; it is a direct attack on truth and an exploitation of young minds. How does the Department of Education and the Minister justify allowing such material to be shown in a classroom, effectively becoming part of the curriculum?
Parents Eran and Karen, whose daughter was forced to endure this propaganda, have rightly expressed their outrage. Their daughter, a top student with an exemplary academic record, is now pulled out of school, her education disrupted due to fear and discomfort caused by this incident. The family, with deep ties to Israel and personal experiences of its conflict, found the content deeply distressing and unacceptable.
The response from the school and the NSW Education Department has been grossly inadequate. Despite the severity of the incident, principal David Rule has decided to take no disciplinary action because the department determined that although it was a breach of the Code of Conduct, it wasn’t done with malice. This stance is simply unacceptable. Principal Rule has yet to provide a substantial update on the investigation, leaving parents in the dark and students in a potentially harmful environment. The department’s spokesperson’s promise of an investigation and further staff training falls short of addressing the immediate need for decisive action against Mr Devenyi-Botos.
As a Northern Beaches councillor and the executive director of StandWithUs, I have been at the forefront of addressing this issue. I have engaged with the school, the Department of Education and the Minister’s office, emphasising the urgency of rectifying this situation. My advocacy is intended to highlight the broader implications of allowing such content in schools – indoctrinating children with extremist ideologies is unacceptable and dangerous. How can a teacher bring an external resource into the classroom without any oversight from the principal or department? No controls, no guidelines. Essentially, a teacher could bring in 20 copies of Mein Kampf, hand them out and instruct the students to open to Page 1 of their ‘textbooks’. We are essentially saying that an individual teacher can run the curriculum and the agenda.
Matt Cross MP, Member for Davidson, has also taken a firm stance, making direct representations to the NSW Education Minister. His involvement underscores the community’s demand for accountability and a swift response to prevent further incidents. Cross’s advocacy is a beacon of responsible leadership, demonstrating a commitment to protecting the educational environment from harmful influences.
This incident is not an isolated case but a wake-up call to the potential for ideological infiltration in our schools. The NSW Education Department must take immediate and robust action to ensure that all educational content is scrutinised and vetted for political neutrality and factual accuracy. Teachers must be held accountable for the materials they introduce into their classrooms and those who breach the Code of Conduct must face appropriate consequences.
It is imperative that our education system upholds the highest standards of integrity and objectivity, safeguarding our children from propaganda and ensuring a balanced, fact-based education. The community must rally together to demand transparency, accountability and reform, ensuring that such an unconscionable breach of trust never occurs again.
Michael Gencher is the executive director of StandWithUs Australia.
Read full article here.
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