Irish teacher punished over trans student's pronouns
Enoch Burke, formerly a teacher of history and German at Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath, has been at the center of a prolonged legal and ethical dispute since 2022. Burke was suspended after he opposed the school principal's request to refer to a 'transitioning' student by a new name and the pronoun 'they.'
Following a hearing on Friday, the High Court of Ireland will be asked to appoint a receiver to recover unpaid fines from Burke's salary. If approved, the move would enable authorities to collect €79,100 – an amount he has accrued through daily €700 fines for showing up at Wilson's Hospital School in defiance of court orders to stay away.
The teacher, who comes from an evangelical Christian background, had repeatedly failed to heed a court order barring him from entering the grounds of the school.
'I teach everyone who's in front of me. I teach every single student,' Burke told SkyNews last year. 'But when I am commanded, when I'm told that I can't have my religious belief anymore, when I'm told I have to confess belief in transgenderism, instead of my simple belief, which is male and female, that's just a breach simply of my rights.'
Although suspended with full pay in May 2022 pending an investigation into alleged misconduct, Enoch Burke continued to show up at the school, leading to his imprisonment for contempt of court in September 2022. To date, he has spent a total of 512 days in jail across three separate periods for defying court orders.
Despite being dismissed from the school, Burke continues to receive his salary under administrative leave while his appeal over his termination is still pending.
Recently, Justice David Nolan doubled Burke's daily fine to €1,400 after it was revealed that he had entered the school through a student entrance and attempted to join a school assembly.
Nolan said by his rough calculations, Burke owes around €190,000 so far as a result of a €700 a day fine imposed on him by the court in January 2023.
The teacher has accused the courts of failing to recognize his constitutional right to religious freedom, and said that these rights were breached when he was asked to refer to a student as they/them.
According to its website, 'Wilson's Hospital School is, to this day, a place where true love of knowledge makes all study a discovery and joy. Our school maintains a distinctive Church of Ireland ethos, fostering Christian practice and teaching, promoting dignity and respect for the individual and committed to the provision of a caring family atmosphere in which education can flourish.'
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