North Carolina high school student, 16, is suspended for saying ‘illegal alien’ in class
- Christian McGhee, 16, suspended, was from Central Davidson High School
- He questioned the term “alien” during an assignment during a class discussion
- His comment reportedly offended another student, who threatened him
A North Carolina high school student has been suspended for using the term “illegal alien” in class.
Christian McGhee, 16, was suspended from Central Davidson High School for three days after using the term during a class discussion about the meaning of words.
Christian questioned the term “alien” in an assignment, asking if it referred to “space aliens or illegal aliens without a green card,” as reported by the Carolina Journal.
His comment reportedly insulted another student who physically threatened McGhee, leading to the involvement of school authorities.
“I didn’t make a statement directed at anyone — I asked a question,” Christian told the Carolina Journal.
Christian McGhee, 16, was suspended from Central Davidson High School for three days after using the term during a class discussion about the meaning of words
Christian questioned the term “alien” in an assignment, asking if it referred to “space aliens or illegal aliens without green cards (pictured, center)
His comment reportedly offended another student, who physically threatened McGhee, leading to the involvement of school authorities at Central Davidson High School in Lexington, North Carolina (pictured)
“I wasn’t talking about Hispanics because everyone from other countries needs green cards, and the term ‘illegal alien’ is a term I hear on the news and can find in the dictionary,” he added.
His suspension could affect his chance at a college athletic scholarship while he played on his school’s track and field and cross country teams.
His mother, Leah McGhee, said that despite their efforts, the assistant principal was unwilling to remove the violation from Christian’s record.
“Because of his question, our son was disciplined and suspended from school for THREE days for ‘racism,’” Christian’s mother wrote in the email, reported by the Carolina Journal.
His mother, Leah McGhee (pictured), said that despite their best efforts, the assistant principal was unwilling to remove the offense from Christian’s record
“I didn’t make a statement directed at anyone — I asked a question,” Christian told the Carolina Journal
‘Christian is devastated and concerned that the racism label on his school records will harm his future goal of receiving a scholarship. We are afraid that he is falling behind in his classes because he is absent for three days in a row.’
Sen. Steve Jarvis, who represents Davidson County, has contacted the school district’s superintendent and urged officials to seek the best outcome.
However, Jarvis took no position on the issue, explaining that he needed to understand all perspectives involved.
“I don’t see how this would be an offensive statement just to get clarification,” he said. ‘But I don’t know there either. “I don’t know the situation of this specific incident.”