Parents not told of bible class

Six-hundred secular state primary schools are allowing religious groups to run sessions with school children – at times without parents’ knowledge.

At at least one, Wellington’s Khandallah School, members of an evangelical group were allowed in without the knowledge of the school board or parents for a lunchtime session any pupil could attend. About 100 students showed up.

Khandallah School board chairman Shaun Twaddle confirmed that neither parents nor the board were told when the then-acting principal allowed Churches Education Commission (CEC) to run a lunchtime session in 2016 that included Arise Church members.

It was only yesterday that he got confirmation from CEC that Arise had members there. Asked if there were other churches there, he said he was ‘‘still trying to find out’’.

The school is currently looking at allowing a religious group back though, as it did in 2017. But there would be better measures to stop preaching, to make sure parents knew about it, and to give them a chance to opt-in.

Parents have told Stuff that lollies were given to those who attended, and children were told to say ‘‘I love Jesus’’.

Tracy Kirkley, spokeswoman for CEC – the largest provider of school bible lessons – said it ran programmes in about 600 state primary schools throughout the country. She declined to identify the schools.

CEC was a non-evangelising ‘‘programme provider’’, while religious groups such as Arise ran the sessions.

‘‘Values attached to Bible stories or characters’’ were taught in a non-denominational way, she said.

The 2016 incident at Khandallah School suggested there had been a ‘‘learning curve’’ for the school and Arise, she said.

‘‘We don’t want our programmes in schools when parents aren’t informed.’’

Arise spokesman Darrin Davies said the church had provided volunteers to the CEC for a 2016 programme at Khandallah School but had played no role in organising the programme.

Mark Honeychurch, of the Secular Education Network, said the group heard from parents weekly about religious instruction at their children’s schools.

‘‘Often the kids are enrolled without the parents’ knowledge.’’

While New Zealand state primary schools must be secular, there is a clause in the Education Act that allows them to technically close either the classroom or school for just the duration of the session and allow the instruction.

One Khandallah parent said the 2016 situation portrayed CEC in a bad light as there was an open door for all students. Parents weren’t given the chance to opt-in, no roll was taken, and the school board was not notified.

Twaddle said the board only became aware of the 2016 session when it was approached to arrange more sessions by CEC in 2017.

By 2017, the church group was told it could not evangelise or try to convert, and a variety of staff sat in on sessions.

He was not aware of lollies being offered in 2016 but did confirm that in 2017, when the church was allowed back, lollies as enticements were ruled out.

‘‘We don’t want our programmes in schools when parents aren’t informed.’’ Tracy Kirkley CEC spokeswoman