What was the Richard Lucas case about?

Richard Lucas - a former maths teacher at Merchiston Castle School, an independent school in Edinburgh - appeared before a General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) fitness-to-teach panel earlier this month for making comments that were “offensive and discriminatory”.

In a 2018 YouTube video, Mr Lucas posted a rant about the Scottish Conservative MSP and former party leader Ruth Davidson having a “fatherless child” with her female partner.  

Ms Davidson, who is currently the acting leader for the Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament, gave birth to a child in October of that year.

She and her partner had previously announced they were expecting a child after undergoing IVF.

Mr Lucas said: “They haven’t produced this baby together. This baby is the product of Ruth Davidson and a gentleman whose identity is a mystery to us.

“The important issue here is that this is the deliberate production of a fatherless child.”

He also said: “There is cause to be concerned about same-sex marriage.”

How was the case against Mr Lucas argued?

GTCS presenting officer Jill Harris said at a four-day fitness-to-teach hearing that Mr Lucas had “ridiculed and assaulted” Ms Davidson.

She said: “The council believes that his statement about Ruth Davidson is inflammatory and that he views same-sex couples as inferior.

“He attempts to ridicule and assault Ms Davidson in his video and in his video assaulted Ruth Davidson and same-sex parents in general. 

“He mocks Ruth Davidson because she doesn’t use condoms as she is in a same-sex marriage.”

She argued that, as a teacher, Mr Lucas would discriminate against the children of same-sex parents, would treat these pupils differently and that his views “are discriminatory”.

What did Mr Lucas argue?

Mr Lucas - who is also leader of the Scottish Family Party - told the hearing that he stood by his comments. He accused the GTCS of “bias” and of being “unfit” and said he did not see how the allegations could be proven.

He said: “It is a view I hold. I feel homosexuality is not a positive thing.

“I think homosexuality is immoral and I think same-sex marriage should be discouraged.

“Ruth Davidson encourages it. I discourage it.”

What did the GTCS fitness-to-teach hearing decide?

Following the four-day hearing which concluded on Thursday 11 February - and could have resulted in Mr Lucas being deemed unfit to teach - the panel found allegations that Mr Lucas’ comments were “offensive and discriminatory” not proven and did not bar him from teaching.

Convenor of the GTCS fitness-to-teach panel Brian Feeney said: “As far as the allegations are concerned, we, the panel, find them not proven.”

What has the reaction been?

Robin Macpherson, the head of private school Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, wrote in The Times newspaper that there is “an ethical imperative” for teachers to respect all pupils in their care, and that publicly stating that you hold a prejudice against a general characteristic makes you “unfit to be a teacher, because pupils with that characteristic will not feel respected in your classroom”.

Not proven? If the point of the ⁦@gtcs⁩ is to maintain the integrity and standards of the teaching profession in Scotland, then this is an abject failure. Homophobia has no place in the classroom. https://t.co/Zs2UDlueOX

- Robin Macpherson FRSA (@robin_macp) February 13, 2021

Meanwhile, depute headteacher and gay rights campaigner John Naples-Campbell described the decision as “utterly heartbreaking”.

Mr Lucas, however, said that he simply believes the teaching of “the mainstream Christian churches and most other world religions”.

What has the GTCS said in response to the outcry?

It said that it was unable to comment on the fitness-to-teach hearing, which had “followed a legal process”. It said the panel’s decision, along with its reasoning, would be published on the GTC Scotland website as soon as it was available.

The GTCS aims to publish decisions within 28 working days of a hearing concluding, which means the panel’s decision should be available in the week beginning Monday 22 March at the latest.

The GTCS added that the new professional standards that come in on 2 August continue to highlight that “the professional values of social justice, trust and respect, and integrity are at the heart of what it means to be a teacher in Scotland”.

What might happen next?

Robin Macpherson said that the GTCS “owes us all a very good explanation for why it failed to uphold its own standards”.

Tes Scotland understands that there are more cases in the pipeline that could present similarly problematic issues for the watchdog.