Teacher who told pupils Covid was fake, Islam was demonic and homosexuality was disgusting banned from schools

Patrick Lawler wrote in a Catholic newsletter that ‘all other religions are false’ and that abortion was a ‘great wickedness’, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel ruled.

The 62-year-old falsely told Year 6 students during a transition day to secondary school that Rosa Parks had not existed, that the famous account of the Black activist giving up her seat on a bus was ‘staged’, and that Martin Luther King was a ‘fraud and had embezzled lots of money’, it was found.

Most of the allegations relate to Lawler’s time as a history teacher at Bede Academy in Northumberland from 2015-20.

But, despite receiving a warning letter in 2019 about his controversial views, he was subsequently employed as a supply teacher by Monarch Education Recruitment Agency in Bristol and worked at Bristol Brunel Academy in Speedwell, part of Cabot Learning Federation.

The TRA panel, whose findings were published on Monday, January 5, said the teacher told Bristol pupils in September 2022 that there was no scientific proof of covid-19 and that you could eat as much salt as you wanted without getting poisoned – a claim he attempted to back up by eating salt in front of children in the classroom.

It decided that Lawler was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct that could bring the profession into disrepute.

The report said he authored or co-authored an article in 2015 in an online Catholic newsletter called The Flock that said ‘Catholicism is the one true religion and… all other religions are false, and of all the false religions Islam is demonstrably the most demonic’.

The piece added that ‘anal copulation between two men is an unnatural, unhealthy, disgusting perversion’, ‘killing children in the womb by abortion is a great wickedness’ and that Islam was ‘Satanically inspired’.

The TRA concluded that the teacher told Bede Academy pupils in December 2020 that ‘back in the day you used to be able to get cocaine purer’, a comment that was ‘in no way related to the lesson’.

It decided Lawler should be banned from the profession indefinitely with a minimum of four years before he could apply to be reinstated as there was a ‘high risk of similar misconduct reoccurring’.

Confirming the ruling, a civil servant on behalf of the Secretary of State wrote: “The panel finds that the conduct of Mr Lawler fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.

“The findings of misconduct are serious as they include a teacher engaging in behaviour that sought to advance his own personal, often controversial, viewpoints over others, and reduce the standing of his own pupils.

“Patrick Lawler is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth-form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.”

Lawler did not attend the hearing and was not represented.

A spokesperson for Bristol Brunel Academy said: “Patrick Lawler was employed on a supply basis at Bristol Brunel Academy for a single day in September 2022.

“Prior to his engagement, he was subject to – and cleared by – all of the usual safeguarding and professional standards checks.

“The following day, students reported that Mr Lawler had made comments relating to Covid scepticism and salt consumption which were at odds with our health teaching and the values of Bristol Brunel Academy.

“Mr Lawler’s conduct was reported to the agency he had been engaged through, and it was requested that he not return to Bristol Brunel.”

Monarch Education Recruitment Agency has been asked for comment.