A Brisbane Christian school says it will withdraw its demand that families sign anti-gay and anti-trans enrolment contracts prior to the new school year.
The decision comes before a meeting with the Queensland schools accreditation board.
While Citipointe Christian College says it “deeply regrets” that the contracts made students feel discriminated against, the principal says the school has the right to maintain its ethos and the “freedom to continue to provide an education based on our shared beliefs”.
Those beliefs – and the statement parents were asked to sign – are taken from the school’s governing body, the International Network of Churches, and its formal “statement of faith”. It includes statements that homosexual acts were “immoral” and “offensive to God” and that transgender people would not be recognised.
The withdrawal of the contract comes after the prime minister, Scott Morrison, said he “did not agree with” the school’s use of the document.
Teachers have told Guardian Australia that the school principal, Brian Mulheran, this week had repeatedly doubled down on his decision to implement the contract. He released a video statement to parents on Tuesday defending the contracts and then gave families a two-week extension to sign.
The decision was made before a scheduled meeting of the state government’s statutory accreditation board, which assesses eligibility for government funding and monitors compliance with the Education Act.
The board has received a discrimination complaint about the contract.
It is also understood that dozens of students and families had already chosen to withdraw and have enrolled at the local state school.
Lawyers and others had said the contract was a clear breach of the Queensland anti-discrimination act. The state human rights commissioner, Scott McDougall, said organisations could not “contract out” their responsibilities under the act.
In a letter to families Mulheran said the school would work with the community to update the enrolment contract, but that no families would now be asked to sign the existing one.
A statement posted on the college website said the school would “continue to ensure that families are provided with information that is necessary to make informed choices about … our approach to teaching”.
“We deeply regret that some students feel that they would be discriminated against because of their sexuality or gender identity, and I apologise to them and their families on behalf of the college,” Mulheran said.
“As stated previously, the college does not and will not discriminate against any student because of their sexuality or gender identity. It is central to our faith that being gay or transgender in no way diminishes a person’s humanity or dignity in God’s eyes.
“It is also deeply distressing that some of our students have been vilified in the community simply for their religious beliefs or because they attend the college.”
Mulheran said society “gives freedom to people to be a part of groups with shared beliefs”.
“Citipointe has the freedom to maintain its Christian ethos and this is an essential part of Christian education and choice for parents. As a college established for religious purposes, we will continue to provide an education based on our shared beliefs.”
The Queensland education minister, Grace Grace, said she welcomed the decision and had called for it on a number of occasions.
“In the interests of the mental health of students, staff, carers and parents I hope they abandon it completely and nothing like it ever surfaces again,” Grace said.
