Courts / Westmeath / Report
Enoch Burke lawfully suspended from teaching post, High Court rules
Summary
In a High Court decision on 19 May 2023, Mr Enoch Burke, an evangelical Christian teacher at Wilson's Hospital secondary school, was found to have been lawfully suspended. The judge, Mr Justice Alexander Owens, upheld the school's disciplinary action, citing Burke's public objections to a school request to use a different name and pronoun for a student who allegedly wished to transition. The court deemed the suspension rational and reasonable, and rejected Burke's claim that the process was procedurally flawed. Burke was also ordered to pay €15,000 in damages for trespassing on the school campus, in addition to a daily €700 fine imposed earlier for breaching court orders to stay away. The judge ruled that a suspended employee cannot return to the workplace unless the employer accepts the employee's resumption, and dismissed Burke's counterclaim. The school's board subsequently decided to dismiss Burke, a decision he has appealed.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Enoch Burke lawfully suspended from teaching post, High Court rules. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- August 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2023-05-19 Publication
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