VOX has been slammed after it put forward a ‘parental veto’ idea that would allow closed-minded parents to stop their children attending classes on sex education or social issues like homophobia.
Rival political parties have also poured scorn on the controversial policy, which could see kids banned from crucial lessons.
The policy has caused heated debate as it will mean that schools will have to ask parents’ permission before they are allowed to give complimentary workshops during school hours.
The issue became public knowledge after Vox refused to approve the new parliamentary budget for the Murcia province unless the new ‘parental veto’ was included in the manifesto.
This had angered the governing Socialist Party (PSOE) and anti-austerity Unidas Podemos, which accused far right Vox of denying the right of student equality and rights to vulnerable factions in society.
The veto has been in place since June last year, after the Vox party ensured that PP’s Fernando Lopez Miras would get their vote if he put the measures into place.
Since then, schools in Murcia have been legally obliged to contact parents for their permission for children to attend social classes.
The government delegate for gender violence, Victoria Rosell, has warned that if the scheme is not lifted, then the government could be forced to issue Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which allows the central Spanish government to take over from local delegates.
Parents are also campaigning to have the policy lifted, calling it absurd, with teachers explaining that the new measures have given rise to a whole host of logistical and staffing issues and accused the government of not being given proper resources to manage the situations.