(TotalConservative.com) – A high school student in North Carolina is suing his school for suspending him after he used the phrase “illegal aliens” during a classroom incident, which offended one of his Latino classmates.
Sixteen-year-old Christian McGhee from Central Davidson High School in Lexington landed into trouble on Tuesday, April 9, when he posed a rather innocent question during a class discussion. Christian asked his teacher during English class if the word “aliens” meant a “space alliance” or if it referred to “illegal aliens who need green cards?” His question was met with what both parties agreed was a threat made in jest by a fellow student who was of Hispanic descent.
The other student jokingly told Christian that he would beat him up, after which the class went on as normal because the remark was a joke. Both students understood this, according to Liberty Justice Center attorney Dean McGhee, and there was no sign of conflict.
The English teacher did not feel the same way and reported the incident to her administrators. When the school’s assistant principal, Eric Anderson, spoke with Christian’s mother they compared his use of the term “illegal alien” to using a racial slur. Anderson also spoke to the students involved in the incident and the Hispanic student said the remark wasn’t serious and he did not actually find Christian’s question offensive. Despite this, Christian was barred from his track meet and suspected for three days without any appeal option.
On May 7, the boy and his parents sued the Davidson County School District Board of Education arguing his free speech rights were violated without due process by unfairly suspending him and not allowing an appeal to question the validity of the punishment. The suit also argues that the incident led to Christian being bullied, labeled “racist” unfairly, and damaged his reputation. The backlash resulted in Christian deciding to finish the rest of the school year at home.
A preliminary injunction was issued on June 4. The goal of the suit is to clear the record and prevent any impact on Christian’s future opportunities.
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