Montana Board of Public Education Revokes Teaching License of Former Scobey Teacher

The Montana Board of Public Education has unanimously voted to revoke the teaching license of former Scobey High School teacher Lucas Knight.

The decision came during the board's September 26 meeting after Knight failed to respond to official communications or appear at disciplinary hearings. Under the board's procedural rules, that failure was treated as an admission of the allegations.

Knight, who taught physical education and health, was accused of entering the girls' locker room while students were present, making sexually explicit jokes, commenting on a student's genitalia, and requiring female students to perform yoga poses in front of the class.

Knight resigned from Scobey High School effective February 11. The Scobey School Board accepted his resignation in March and later appointed a replacement. In addition to teaching, Knight served as the school's activities director and was part of the football coaching staff.

Following its internal investigation, the district notified the Montana Office of Public Instruction, as required under current law. State education officials are now working on proposed legislation that would require school districts to report educator misconduct, saying some cases have historically come to light only through media reports.

Board Chairman Tim Tharp says stronger reporting requirements could help prevent similar cases from going undetected in the future.