'You killed Jesus': Scottish Parliament committee told of 'appalling' anti-Semitic bullying in rural school
Religious leaders were in Holyrood to discuss legislation on religious assemblies in schools.
MSPs have been told a Jewish mother was “completely floored” when a teacher dismissed her concerns of “appalling” anti-Semitic bullying.
Religious leaders were at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday to discuss legislation on allowing children to withdraw from religious worship in schools when the comments were made.
Holyrood’s equalities committee was discussing whether parents could approach headteachers and council officers with their concerns when Leah Rivka, a research officer at the Jewish Council of Scotland, said: “In a small rural primary school, a Jewish child was being bullied in the playground and the child was told ‘you killed Jesus’.
“The mother did what all mothers would do and went to the school, and was completely floored when the teacher shrugged her shoulders and said ‘well you did, didn’t you?’
“The mother said to us ‘what do I do? The two teachers are hugely respected in our local community and there are no other schools within practical driving distance. If I complain, I am going to be ostracised, my whole family will be ostracised in the community’.
“So while in larger cities and towns it is possible to take things up with the local authority, it is not possible to do so in large areas of Scotland.”
Reverend Stephen Miller, co-ordinator of the Church of Scotland’s education and schools group, said he was “horrified” by the story. But he said the legislation in question would not “resolve that appalling attitude”.
The Bill would allow pupils to overturn their parents’ decision to withdraw them from religious assemblies in schools. However, campaigners such as the Humanist Society Scotland say the legislation should go further and allow pupils to opt themselves out of school worship entirely.
Rev Miller said he was worried the Bill would “introduce unnecessary adversarial situations”.
Barbara Coupar, director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, said she was worried the legislation set a precedent where “schools should be arbitrators and making decisions contrary to what the family has decided”.
She said: “There is a difference between wishes being expressed and really heard and that always equating to what the child has asked for being the outcome. There is real sensitivity with that to not put schools in a position where they are becoming ‘named persons’ making decisions on behalf of the child instead of the family.”
Reverend Stephen Allison, public engagement co-ordinator at the Free Church of Scotland, said: “The issue we have is where there is a disagreement between the parents and the child and that the child’s view trumps the parental wishes.
“It is dangerous ground to place teachers and education authorities above parents.”
Ms Rivka said she was concerned the legislation would “force children to become arbitrators between their parents” in interfaith families where their parents come from two different religions.
She said: “Beyond that, if they are separated parents there is the potential for bad actors who want to contradict the other parent and that could put children in a horrendous situation.”
Other concerns were raised that pupils could opt out of religious worship for “frivolous” reasons. However, this is not included in the Bill.
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