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Teacher Sacked For Expressing His Faith

by | Thu, Jun 1 2023

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A Christian relief teacher in Wales claims he was sacked for ‘hate speech’ after sharing his beliefs at a mandatory teaching seminar.

It was run by Diverse Cymru which trains teachers on workforce diversity practice, unconscious bias and transgender identity and gender expression awareness.

55-year-old grandfather Ben Dybowski attended the event with 80 other teachers and no students.

The Daily Mail reports he was urged to share his Biblical pro-life and marriage views.

It adds that during the ‘diversity and inclusion’ discussion about how to avoid offending pupils, the teacher challenged the group over whether his Christian beliefs were considered discriminatory.

He was dismissed from his relief-teaching job the following day.

Mr. Dybowski says he was told he was considered a threat to students because of his beliefs.

He claimed the school wrongly assumed he was unwilling to comply with its policies.

He explained that he had taught for two decades and insisted he never discussed his views with pupils and was always respectful of those with different opinions.

Mr. Dybowski fears his teaching career may be over after his employer referred his case to the Education Workforce Council which regulates teachers in Wales. Investigations can take up to eight months.

The teacher who’s originally from Poland believes his treatment is “an attack on Christianity” and “an affront to freedom of speech and freedom of thought” which reminded him of his life in Poland when it was under communist rule.

Toby Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union said: “The way Ben has been treated is outrageous. Had he been an employee of the school, not taken on through an agency, he’d have an open and shut case for unfair dismissal.”

“My advice to the school is to apologise. Discrimination based on religion or belief breaches the Equality Act. Damages aren’t capped and individuals can be held liable.”