A Davidson County high school student, Christian McGhee, was recently suspended for using the words “illegal alien” in class. According to the student’s mother, Lean McGhee, her son had requested his teacher for clarification on a vocabulary assignment which was using the word “alien”. Christian asked whether it was referring to “space aliens or illegal aliens without green cards.” Christian’s English teacher, Haley Hill, then told the student to “watch his mouth”.
The question sparked anger in another student who told Christian that he was going to beat him up. Both students were sent to the Assistant Principal’s office where Christian received a three-day suspension. According to school records, the suspension was for making a “racially motivated” and “racially insensitive” comment. The suspension caused Christian to miss a home track meet. Not only that, but the family also removed Christian from the school due to threats and harassment over the incident.
The Davidson County family has filed a federal lawsuit against the school district in the US District Court for the Middle District of NC. The lawsuit claims that the school district violated Christian’s First Amendment rights to free speech, education, and due process. The family is suing for monetary damages and wants the suspension removed from Christian’s records.
“We have asked the school to handle this privately for weeks,” Christian’s mother said on Fox News’s Fox & Friends. “I’ve emailed the school board for four weeks. I’ve had no response from the school board. And since … we had no resolution, we had no other choice but to file a lawsuit and take this public.”
The Liberty Justice Center is handling the case for the family. Their attorney, Dean McGee, stated that there is “no case for racism” and called the suspension “outrageous”. In a press release McGee said, “School officials have effectively fabricated a racial incident out of thin air and branded our client as a racist without even giving him an opportunity to appeal. Fortunately, young people do not shed their First Amendment rights at school, and we look forward to vindicating Christian’s rights here.”
Elon Musk also commented on the matter calling the suspension “absurd.”
See the lawsuit specifics here:
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