Just In: Student Suspended For Saying ‘Illegal Aliens’ Will Receive Cash, Public Apology

Go to Article

The perceived overreach of administrators at one North Carolina high school sparked a nationwide conversation about whether students should be kicked out of school for using terms some others might find offensive.

At the heart of the case is Christian McGhee, who was 16 when he received a three-day suspension for uttering the words “illegal aliens” during a class lesson.

He insisted he was only trying to clarify the assignment, but the supposed violation was nevertheless deemed severe enough to warrant a suspension.

The ensuing backlash has resulted vindication for the student, as the New York Post reported:

McGhee’s mother, Leah, had filed a lawsuit in which she accused the school and the Davidson County Board of Education of violating her son’s First Amendment rights.

However, McGhee’s family and the school board settled on Wednesday after a year-long battle in the courts, according to court documents.

The board has agreed to remove all references to racial bias in McGhee’s school record and issue a public apology “for the mischaracterization of racial bias” in his record, documents show.

The board will also provide him with $20,000 in compensation to help his family with the costs of tuition at his new private school, to which he was forced to transfer after being suspended.

McGhee’s story, including the latest development, has received widespread attention via social media:

The Daily Mail also reported on the most recent news:

The update marks the potential end of a long battle that started when Christian asked his teacher for a clarification on what she meant by ‘aliens,’ prompting a Hispanic classmate to reply that he was going to ‘kick his a**.’

The moment then escalated when both students were called down to the office of  Assistant Principal Eric Anderson.

Anderson was accused of telling Christian that his words were a ‘big deal’ and that the other student should be offended, according to the lawsuit filed by the family’s attorneys at the Liberty Justice Center.

The lawsuit also alleged that Anderson told Christian it would’ve been more respectful to use the label of ‘those people’ who ‘need a green card,’ rather than use the term ‘aliens.’

Christian’s attorneys noted that the student had a ‘good relationship’ with Christian and later told him that he wasn’t offended by the comment.

Here’s a flashback to remarks McGhee’s mother made about the case in an interview last year:



Comment on this Article Via Your Disqus Account