Hunter Valley Grammar School sparks outrage over woke Mother’s Day move
An elite private school has been accused of promoting ‘woke ideology’ after changing the name of its Mother’s Day stall to ‘Family Day’.
The stall will be available on Friday to primary school students from nursery to year six at Hunter Valley Grammar School, 310km north of Sydney.
The stalls are traditionally arranged so that students could buy gifts for their mothers before Mother’s Day on Sunday.
The initiative has infuriated some mothers who claim the stall erases their special role as mothers on the only day a year it can be celebrated.
Mothers have accused an elite private school of pushing ‘woke ideology’ after students were invited to buy gifts at a ‘Family Day’ stall ahead of Mother’s Day (stock image)
The stall will be available to primary school students from Nursery to Year 6 at Hunter Valley Grammar School (pictured) on Friday, with all gifts costing $12.
“I’m quite upset about this,” one mother told the newspaper Daily telegram.
“Changing the name feels like you’re sending the message to students that mothers are not more important than anyone else in their lives that they consider special.
“It’s the one day a year when mothers are celebrated and recognized.”
She said the change came after parents complained that the Mother’s Day stall was upsetting students who may not have had a mother in their lives or had two fathers.
Another mother accused the school of promoting “woke ideology.”
‘I am deeply concerned about the gender ideology that is infiltrating our schools and how proponents of this movement are not only trying to erase important and meaningful gendered terms such as mother, girl, boy, breast, but also trying to undermine valued traditions under the guise of ‘inclusion’ like Mother’s Day,” she said.
“(It’s)… the one day a year dedicated to all mothers, future, past and present, to appreciate their worth, sacrifices and unconditional love.”
Parents were informed of the stall via an email from the school.
‘The purpose of this stall is to celebrate loved ones. On Friday, primary and secondary school students will have the opportunity to visit the stall,” the email said.
“Students have the special task of choosing a gift with their loved one in mind.”
Parents were informed about the Family Day Stall via an email from the school (photo)
A resource (pictured) from Early Childhood Australia provided teachers with a guide to engaging diverse families on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
It comes as a growing number of preschools and daycare centers refuse to celebrate Mother’s Day, calling the occasion ‘Parent’ or ‘Family Day’.
Last year, several early learning centers hosted events that replaced female-oriented words like “mother” with non-gendered words like “parent.”
The shift in thinking was sparked by a new resource from advocacy group Early Childhood Australia, which provided teachers with a guide to engaging diverse families on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
The resource urges teachers to give children the opportunity to make a gift for a ‘special adult’ who is not their mother or father, and to avoid gender stereotypes.
Avoid gender stereotypes in children’s crafts,” the resource advised.
“Stay away from cards with flowers for mom or ties for dad.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hunter Valley Grammar School for comment.