Enoch Burke turns up to school again despite sacking - read OP before posting

And it doesn't matter to us or the case.

Burke being the subject of the thread - so that IS relevant.

There are contextual parimeters to every thread. The initial dispute is the same: child requeste pronounds, Burke had a meltdown. Nothing has changed. Is the school oblighed to tell the parents? Not if the child is 16+, and/or requests that the school do not inform the parents.

The WBC have stated that they are not going to help him and disagree with the way about how he made his stance: their opinion is that the law must always be respected.

The difference is that when you are gossiping about the parents and student and speculating on what might have happened or could happen or who said what in private meetings is invading the privacy of people who have enough to put up with.

They may or may not even be aware of this thread but that doesn't matter either, un-informed gossip and muck-stirring adds nothing to the discussion.

The Burkes and their carry-on, including their financial affairs, is open season, they have brought it on themselves, but leave irrelevant people out of it.

Are you saying that there wasn’t an email from the parent relating to who was at the meeting and what was discussed?

There is a newspaper article, it was linked yesterday, I hardly think Boards posters are making it more widely known that what was said and who was there is being disputed between the parent and school.

I do agree though, speculating on backpedaling, disagreements between parents, why only one addended the meeting, why the parent emailed the school, is distasteful. Whatever their reasons are for contacting the school and disputing their record of events, they obviously have good ones.

It's a co-ed school and we don't know who the student is, so, regardless of what the student requested, using they/their is correct in this instance.

A Its against site rules

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/110864714/#Comment_110864714

B Its disrespectful given that the school has stated "The student was clear that they did not want to use their previous gender-specific pronouns "

The child is trans, they didn't 'request' they/them pronouns, so when it was reported that a child had requested to be referred to by they/them pronouns they could easily have thought it was another student, who identifies as non-binary not transgender

According to the only article that I've found that mentions the email the student made it clear that they did not wish to use their previous gender-specific pronouns at all. And that all present at the meeting, including the parent and the student, agreed that the they/them pronouns would be used going forward.

I couldn't say why the request to use a different name wasn't accompanied by the specific pronouns they wanted used. I've known people who prefer no pronouns be used, i.e. only using their name to refer to them. I've known people who are fine with any pronouns being used for them, i.e. he/she/they and sometimes even it. I've known people who are fine with any pronouns except the ones that they were assigned at birth, i.e. assigned she/her at birth and are now fine with he/him or they/them but not she.

I could see the school balking at any of those, preferring to have a specific set of pronouns for people to use to make it as easy and straightforward as possible. And so they all agreed that they/them would be the most appropriate. The parent's email just says that they/them came from Wilson's rather than the student, not that they or their child objected to it.

I’m picking up the same but the facts of what this case are about doesn’t change. The student or what they want, did want, doesn’t want has no relevance to the case. Enoch’s behaviour at work causing his dismissal and his failure to follow court orders is what this case is about but as you may have seen on Twitter, people get easily distracted and facts get forgotten.

Exactly. The student wanted to be known by a new name. They also didn't want the pronouns they were assigned at birth used for them. One of the staff members present suggested people use the they/them pronouns for the student. Everyone, including the student, the parent that was at the meeting, and the school staff members present agreed. And so at some point later the principal sent out the request to all staff that the new name and pronouns be used for the student. Then Burke flipped out and we ended up here.

Papers have been claiming it all along, despite the fact that it has been made very clear both by the school and the courts repeatedly that he was fired over his behavior. I doubt that the school is interested in trying to fight that kind of battle with any newspapers.

What is utterly ridiculous is anyone continuing to seriously pretend that Burke was fired over anything other than his actions.

We don’t have individual pronouns, that’s not how language works. We do however have our own names.

As the child is a boy (I believe) there is nothing disrespectful calling the child a boy and referring to him as “they/them” is appalling use of English.