It's speech day at a Sydney school. And kids are getting a chat about the evils of vaccinations.

It’s speech day, and the kids are talking about things that are close to their hearts.

But parents got something they weren’t really expecting last week when, at a Sydney sixth-grade school, a pupil was allowed to deliver a speech called “Why vaccinations should not be compulsory.”

Yes, you read that right: “Why vaccinations should not be compulsory.”

A room full of eager, trusting boys and girls absorbed this dangerous rhetoric when they were meant to be learning.

The school – which we have chosen not to name – allowed the young boy to give the speech several times in a public speaking competition.

Listening to the talk were fellow students – aged between ten and 12 – more used to hearing speeches on “Why the weekends should be shorter “ or “What I would do if I was principal for the day?”

One mother said that when she found out her son had been in the audience for the speech, she was horrified.

“It’s disgraceful. Impressionable kids are now going around spouting this rubbish. It is obviously [a message] from an anti-vaxxer parent.”

Mamamia understands that the child had been competing in a public speaking competition and that he had given the same speech three times.

Whichever child wins the next round of the competition is then allowed to present the speech to a whole school assembly – in front of children of all ages.

“We need to let kids be kids not feed them this bullshit. I had to tell my own child to ignore it,” the mother said. “I was furious.”

It’s a requirement of the Public Health Act 2010 that NSW public schools require the immunisation of children before they enter preschool and kindergarten to protect them against outbreaks of infectious diseases. They actively promote vaccinations.

From the NSW Government Education web page:

“A child without an Immunisation History Statement will not be prevented from enrolling in primary school. Under the NSW Public Health Act 2010, however, children without proof of immunisation may be asked by Public Health Officials to stay at home during an outbreak of vaccine preventable disease.”

It is one thing for a child to be hearing this kind of ignorant rhetoric at home – or online – but there is no justifiable way of allowing them to present it in the classroom.

It is especially concerning that a school would allow it to be presented – not just once but several times to the students.

A ten, 11 or 12 year old student cannot in any way know the danger behind spreading such falsehoods. He certainly isn’t to blame.

But who is? The school for allowing the topic to be presented SEVERAL times? The parents of the student for infiltrating his innocent mind with the myths?

Don’t schools need to draw a line in the sand about such things? Obviously we want our children to learn to examine all issues from all sides.

But we also want them to know when something is bullshit.

And this is.

NOTE: Mamamia reached out to the school involved for comment, but they declined. 

Should kids be able to talk about anything they want in speech time? Or should there be some guidelines?

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