Christian teacher who spent 100 days in prison for refusing to use gender-neutral pronouns is SACKED

Enoch Burke has two weeks to file an appeal after he was fired from his teaching position yesterday, following a chaotic disciplinary hearing.

Burke has the right to appeal within ten working days of Thursday’s ‘stage 4’ hearing to decide whether he should be fired.

The teacher, who spent three months in prison for defying a court order to stay away from his school after a dispute that began over the preferred pronouns of a transgender student, was informed yesterday of the decision.

In a statement, the Burke family declined to comment on whether it would appeal.

The teacher spent three months in prison for defying a court order to stay away from his school following a dispute that began over a transgender student’s preferred pronouns.

But they claimed that “lawyers illegally attempted to conduct the alleged disciplinary hearing” and that the school president was absent, which may form the basis for an appeal.

Thursday’s hearing was loudly interrupted by Burke and his family, who are evangelical Christians.

Mr Burke was summoned to Wilson’s Hospital School in Multyfarnham, Co. Westmeath, yesterday and informed at 3.30pm in the presence of Chairman of the Board John Rogers and Principal Frank Milling that he had been fired.

Burke said his dismissal was based on the ‘alleged’ board meeting at Mullingar Park Hotel from which Rogers was absent.

Burke said his dismissal was based on the ‘alleged’ board meeting at Mullingar Park Hotel from which Chairman Rogers was absent.

The dispute stemmed from Mr. Burke (center) first refusing to use different pronouns for a student and then loudly protesting to the school’s principal about the pronoun problem during an event celebrating the 260th anniversary from school.

Yesterday, Mr Rogers was on hand to tell Mr Burke that the longstanding dispute over gender pronouns was over – he was fired from school (pictured) just one day after the Mullingar hearing.

The Thursday meeting heard that Mr. Rogers was absent because he had become ill on Wednesday night. Gardaí had to escort board members from a Mullingar hotel while members of Burke’s family followed after Thursday’s hearing.

The decision to fire Mr. Burke came at stage four of the Department of Education and Skills procedures for the suspension or firing of teachers.

Evidence included a written report from the director and allowing Mr Burke to speak to the board at the Mullingar meeting.

The sanctions open to the board included demotion and dismissal, and the board quickly decided to opt for dismissal. Mr Burke had spent 107 days in prison before Christmas for refusing to obey a High Court order to stay away from school until the hearing was held.

The dispute stemmed from Mr. Burke first refusing to use different pronouns for a student and then loudly protesting to the school’s principal about the pronoun problem during an event celebrating the school’s 260th anniversary. .

Yesterday, Mr Rogers was on hand to tell Mr Burke that the longstanding dispute over gender pronouns was over – he was fired from the school just one day after the Mullingar hearing.

On Wednesday, the High Court refused to grant Mr. Burke an injunction to avoid the hearing, saying he failed to obey High Court orders to stay away from school.

The school had suspended him with full pay.

Mr Burke was finally released from Mountjoy prison on December 21. In releasing him, Judge Brian O’Moore made it clear to him that he could face re-imprisonment if he showed up at the school again.

Despite the warning, the teacher continued to attend the school, against the wishes of the school board, as it reopened after the Christmas holidays on January 5.