According to RTE News, secondary school teacher, Enoch Burke was sent to jail last Monday. He was told not to attend school or teach after he was suspended for refusing to address a trans student with ‘they’. Burke was suspended while awaiting the outcome of a disciplinary process. But he came to school regardless of this order. The teacher said that to comply with the order would be “in violation of his conscience”.
By: Jessaï van der Neut
Burke kept attending school and got arrested while he was sitting in his empty classroom. He said that he wanted to be there, because he loves his students and the subjects he teaches – debating, German, history, and politics. According to Burke, there were no valid grounds to suspend him. He also stated to the court that “if he were to comply with the suspension and obey the court’s order, he would have to accept that sticking by his belief in male and female opened him to a fair charge of gross misconduct”. This was “against his Christian belief, contrary to scriptures, and contrary to the ethos of the school, the Church of Ireland, and the teaching of all major churches”.
The above is so important for Enoch Burke, because bowing to something he knows is wrong, would be a bad example for his students. He added that he does not want to go to prison, he just wants to be in his classroom, and teach.
Pray for this brave teacher for strength to keep speaking up for what he believes.
