Sharon Keogan Urges Gender Ideology Be Kept Out of Schools
Sharon Keogan spoke on education policy, arguing gender ideology should be kept out of primary and post-primary education and expressing support for Senator O'Reilly. She raised concerns that many children in foster care can be out of the education system for one to two years and criticised the minister for leaving the chamber after 40 minutes.
Support for keeping gender ideology out of schools
Keogan said she 100% supports Senator O'Reilly and argued that gender ideology should be excluded from the curriculum, particularly in primary and post-primary education.
Foster care and gaps in schooling
Keogan highlighted a pattern where children entering foster care are often moved out of their county and sometimes do not return to the education system for one to two years. She described this absence from schooling as a profound disadvantage for foster children and a serious failing in the care system.
Practical barriers despite mileage allowance
While welcoming a mileage allowance granted last year for foster parents, Keogan said practical constraints remain - some foster carers simply cannot spend four hours a day driving a child between counties such as Kildare and Wicklow, and the problem is not only financial but about time and logistics.
Ministerial absence and local school query
Keogan expressed disappointment that the minister left the chamber after 40 minutes, saying ministers are not always present to answer senators' questions. She noted a local secondary school issue she rarely raises in the chamber and said she will send a request to the minister about that matter.
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Senator Kilgan. Thank you very much and I actually won't keep you very long but I 100% support Senator O'Reilly. Gender ideology should be kept out of education, particularly in primary and post-primary education. There is only one thing that I want to raise and that is children in foster care and the education of those children in foster care and the disadvantage that those children face. Many children that go into foster care may not go into an emergency placement within their own jurisdiction. Very often they're moved out of the county and some of those children, believe it or not, would end up not going back into the education system for about one to two years. You might find that shocking but I've had children in my care who may not have had teenage children who may not have been in school for about two years because they're being pushed on and on and on and on through the system and they've never found that forever home and they're not in education and that's the greatest shame we have to those children and not keeping them in care. There was an allowance granted there last year for foster parents to a mileage allowance and I actually welcome that but sometimes for instance I would get a child that could be in school in Kildare or could be in school in Wicklow and it might be just impossible for me to get that child to school in Wicklow on a daily basis even though I might be paid that money to get it's not about the money I just might not have that time to spend four hours in a car every day to bring that child to school. So that is something that I'd like you to look at and to think of those children that are in the foster care system that are actually not in education and continued education particularly in either primary or secondary school and and that's really really important to me. The other thing that I would uh want to bring up is um look at I'm after the minister is actually after leaving after 40 minutes to be quite honest chair I actually am so disappointed because commencement matters we're finding no disrespect to you minister and thank you for coming in but even in commencement matters we're finding now that the ministers in question of the departments are not coming in to answer the questions that the senators are putting uh in front of them this is the first time we've had an issue uh and a chance to address um minister McEntee on this very important uh uh department and I'm disappointed after 40 minutes that the minister has left the chamber um I had a question in relation to my own I rarely bring up uh local local politics in this chamber I don't think I've ever done it I do it maybe four or five times since I came in here and it was to do with a local secondary school in my area so and I I'm just wondering where it is but I will send a request to the minister herself but I'm disappointed after 40 minutes the minister has left this chamber thank you
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