A Christian school that came under fire earlier this year for requiring prospective students to sign an “anti-gay” enrolment contract, is now accused of demanding similar commitments from its teachers, a report has claimed.
The Guardian reported that Citipointe Christian College in Carindale, Brisbane, includes a clause in its teacher contracts that requires employees to “act in a way he knows, or ought reasonably to know, is contrary to the religious beliefs of the college”.
“Nothing in his/her deliberate conduct should be incompatible with the intrinsic character of their position, especially, but not only, in relation to the expression of human sexuality through heterosexual, monogamous relationships, expressed intimately through marriage,” the contract reportedly reads.
“Your failure to abide by such requirements expressed in the above clauses could constitute a breach of your employment contract and subsequent dismissal.”
A Citipointe Christian College spokesperson said the wording of the contract, including the Statement of Faith, was under review.
“The College is reviewing its employment contract and other documents after the decision to amend the Statement of Faith. After the review is completed, new employment contracts will be offered to relevant staff,” the spokesperson said.
The revised version will include “no references to sexuality and gender identity”.
The decision to review the contract was made on February 24.
The spokesperson said nobody’s employment had been terminated over refusing to sign the contract.
One person, who told Citipointe ahead of the review decision they were unable to sign the contract, remained employed at the school.
“Like many faith-based schools in Queensland, Citipointe has always employed staff on the basis that they see their work as a part of the Christian ministry of the College,” the spokesperson said.
“Both the Queensland and Commonwealth legislation respect and protect the right of faith-based organisations like Citipointe to employ staff who will act consistently with the religious beliefs of the College.”
