A Fife teacher stood by while classmates ridiculed a 14-year-old pupil for his Christian beliefs, it has been claimed.
Beath High School teacher Donna Gilchrist is said to have joined in the teasing, telling the youngster: “Jesus was black, Jesus was gay”.
The boy told a General Teaching Council (GTC) Scotland hearing: “Other pupils were teasing me because I was Christian and she wasn’t doing anything to stop it.
“It’s not nice people making fun of you in front of everybody and the teacher not really helping in that situation.
“I felt like she was facilitating all the guys around me making fun of me. I really hated it.”
The former pupil, who cannot be named, was the final witness to give evidence during the four-day hearing.
It was previously claimed Gilchrist talked about buying porn, mocked a pupil with dyslexia and showed a violent, 18-certificate film in class.
The General Teaching Council (GTC) for Scotland hearing has been considering the allegations, which cover a period between December 2017 and February 2018.
And the panel expects to conclude the hearing tomorrow.
Gilchrist is no longer employed by Fife Council.
Talked of taking drugs and alcohol
The mother of another pupil said her daughter reported Gilchrist having no control over the class.
“She wasn’t learning anything and it was a waste of time,” she said.
“She said the teacher had allowed kids to come screaming into the room swearing and she didn’t seem to take control.
“They had also been watching YouTube videos. One was of black American girls scrapping.
“Some of the kids had been drinking alcohol at the weekend.
“And Mrs Gilchrist said she had taken alcohol and drugs when she was younger and it hadn’t done her any harm.
“My daughter was 14 and I do not think it was appropriate.”
The woman said her daughter was not learning anything and lost all enthusiasm for school as a result.
Mocked pupil with dyslexia
GTC Scotland previously heard claims Gilchrist had talked in class about buying a pornographic magazine for her husband.
And she is alleged to have shown a YouTube clip of comedian Russell Howard dressed as a penis.
Other claims include the playing of a Sarah Millican video to a third year class in which the comedian refers to masturbation.
And she was also accused of reducing a female pupil to tears after mocking her dyslexia.
Full list of allegations against Donna Gilchrist
Gilchrist is not attending the hearing.
However, the panel previously heard that in an interview with Fife Council she claimed she used the videos to try to establish a rapport with the pupils.
She described the class as “unhappy in their educational learning environment” and “extremely reluctant”.
The allegations against the teacher at Beath High, as set out by the GTCS, are as follows.
Between December 2017 and February 2018 it is claimed that the teacher:
- Made comments regarding God which were upsetting to pupils in her class
- Mocked her pupil – referred to as Pupil A – as a result of her dyslexia
- Showed a number of videos to pupils in lessons which were not materials approved of by the school; were not relevant to the classes being taught; included offensive language; and were not age-appropriate
- Had discussions on the subjects of drugs and alcohol and portrayed these in a positive light
- Told her class an anecdote about being asked to purchase a pornographic magazine for her husband
- Used and condoned racist language in the classroom, in that she used the word ‘n*****’ in discussions with pupils, and allowed pupils to use the word ‘n*****’ without objection.
The watchdog says as a result of these claims, the teacher is unfit to work in the profession.
If any allegations are found proven, the GTC has the power to impose sanctions.
These could include being banned from teaching.
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