The Riversdale School board of trustees is expected to decide today whether to introduce a mind-focusing programme for pupils which has caused a rift among parents.
About 90 parents attended a meeting last week to discuss whether the eastern Southland school should go ahead with plans to begin ''mindfulness'' sessions, a mind-focusing and meditation-type calming technique which the school says will help the school's 147 pupils control their emotions but which opponents say has Buddhist origins they do not want their children exposed to.
One parent, Stephen Gullick, said his was one of eight families with 23 children between them which opposed the programme.
He said he appreciated supporters and opponents could air their opinions at the meeting and believed he and other opponents had finally been listened to.
''Now it has become such a hot issue, whatever decision the board is going to make is going to upset one side or the other.''
Board of trustees chairman Dylan Ditchfield echoed that view.
''We were very pleased with the input from parents. It gives the board a good feeling of where people are at ... but we are in a bit of a predicament. We won't please everybody. We need to make a call and get on with it - get on with life.''
Mr Ditchfield said he expected the decision to be made at a board meeting today. Mr Gullick said he realised the parents opposed to the programme were in the minority.
He conceded they had been given the right to withdraw their children from the sessions, but said because the school had been planning three 10-minute slots daily and one hour of training on Thursdays, parents did not believe that would be practical.
Mr Ditchfield said the board was considering changing the timing of sessions if mindfulness was introduced, but did not want to say what the new time slots might be until the school's board and the school community had an opportunity to discuss the matter.
Mr Gullick and Mr Ditchfield are at odds over whether mindfulness is associated with Buddhism.
Mr Gullick said mindfulness was listed in Buddhist literature as one of the main practices of the faith and his understanding was sessions at the school would involve ringing a handbell - another important part of Buddhist worship - and having a dhamma practitioner oversee the programme.
However, Mr Ditchfield said as far as school staff and the board were concerned, mindfulness ''did not contain any Buddhism''.
A mindfulness in schools programme with the Mental Health Foundation has been piloted in six New Zealand schools. Those involved with the pilot say sessions are spiritual but non-religious.
