By Brianna Kraemer
Carolina Journal
A 16-year-old student at Central Davidson High School in Lexington, North Carolina was suspended for three days last week after using the term ‘illegal alien’ during a vocabulary assignment in his English class.
Christian McGhee’s teacher assigned vocabulary words during class last Tuesday, including the word ‘alien.’ According to his mother, Leah McGhee, Christian responded to his teacher, asking, “Like space aliens or illegal aliens without green cards?”
According to an email describing the incident, sent to local officials and shared with Carolina Journal, a young man in class took offense to Christian’s question and reportedly threatened to fight him, prompting the teacher to call in the assistant principal. Ultimately, Christian’s words were deemed by administrative staff to be offensive and disrespectful to classmates who are Hispanic.
“I didn’t make a statement directed towards anyone; I asked a question,” says Christian in response to his suspension. “I wasn’t speaking of Hispanics because everyone from other countries needs green cards, and the term “illegal alien” is an actual term that I hear on the news and can find in the dictionary.”
In addition to the three-day suspension, his record could be damaged as he aims to secure an athletic scholarship for college. He is actively involved in school clubs, track, and cross country.
“Because of his question, our son was disciplined and given THREE days OUT of school suspension for ‘racism,’” wrote Christian’s mother in the email. “Christian is devastated and concerned that the racism label on his school record will harm his future goal of receiving a track scholarship. We are concerned that he will fall behind in his classes due to being absent for three consecutive days.”
Leah said the assistant principal has so far refused to remove the infraction from Christian’s record. The family is working with an attorney to remedy the situation so it doesn’t harm Christian’s future, and they expect more developments in the days ahead.
Meanwhile, State Senator Steve Jarvis, R-Davidson, said he contacted the school district’s superintendent to make him aware of the situation. Jarvis told the Carolina Journal that while he informed top officials of the issue and urged officials to look for the best outcome, he did not take a stance on what they should do because he wasn’t there to understand all sides of the story.
“I do not see that that would be an offensive statement, just in getting clarification,” said Jarvis. “But there again, I don’t know. I don’t know the situation of this particular incident.”
An official at Davidson County Schools said the district could not provide details on a student matter. The student handbook says that “schools may place restrictions on a student’s right to free speech when the speech is obscene, abusive, promoting illegal drug use, or is reasonably expected to cause a substantial disruption to the school day.”
State legislators have propelled school choice forward in North Carolina to give parents and students alternative education options. More than 72,000 applications flooded the Opportunity Scholarship program this February in record-breaking demand, and additional funds will likely expand the program’s budget due to the surging demand.
This young man said NOTHING offensive.
Exactly!
I’d say the problem lies with the student that complained it was offensive. English words are English words and he better get used to it. Typical of young people to blame others and claim it was biased or prejudiced. The school system is also at fault for persecuting a child who knows English and asked a pertinent question. They need a backbone and a sense of fair play.
That’s just straight up BS! He did or said nothing wrong! SMH!
Agree!
Outrageous! And I’m offended by the use of “illegal drug use” in this article. What about those on legal medications. HAHA… what has this world come to?
So a terrorist , someone who uses violence or threats thereof to influence, doesn’t get suspended and the kids who used a legitimate word does? Public schools are CRAZY!
Anyone who still sends their children to “public” schools is complicit in the Socialst brainwashing we call public education. Defund all public schools, reduce the corresponding tax burden, and let parents decide themselves, where and how to educate their children
The problem there is to many parents aren’t parenting. They won’t call the teachers back, nor show up for a conference. Close public schools and many more children will be on the street. Why don’t we just go back to teaching subjects that matter in life and stop all this “everyone gets a trophy” crap?
Amen
Well, “Tell the truth”, most kids are sent to public school because parents don’t have a way to teach their children because they need to work in this capitalistic society. If you want to defund the public schools, there would be no teachers anywhere. You are simply asking for a world without education, correct? I assume that you want to go back to the 1840s when voting was only for white men, slavery was legal, and the legal consent age was 9.
@CG: No, you’re wrong. That’s not what I said. We’ll still need teachers and schools, but let the parents decide where to send kids. Only Snowflakes and SOCIALSTs think that everyone “deserves” an education. Put kids into apprenticeship, the military, etc. There’s A LOT more ways to have “education ” than our SOCIALST publuschool system.
If you come to this country from any other country illegally….you are an illegal alien. Simple as that. This is what happens when you allow Marxist Communists to run the country. People are so stupid.
👏👏👏
On its face this appears absolutely ridiculous that a student should be punished for asking a question for clarification in school but the student who wanted to fight him doesn’t have any punishment. Some schools are a hell hole now! I’m so glad we homeschool and I can teach my kids how to properly behave in public and how to handle their disagreements without fighting. I’m sure we do more learning in one day then most schools all year.
Exactly!
Where is the punishment for communicating a threat of violence?
Lexington is in Joco now? Why do we care about this?
So, you must think it will never come here? Wise up!
What in the “f” is this?? First off HISPANIC isn’t a RACE culture /ethnicity. The young man wasn’t being racist at all he asked a question and a little boy without guidance from a father/man got emotional like a little girl. That boy needs to be in school. I hope they sue the teacher principal the cry baby student and the school
Because idiocy has no border
Genesis “illegal Alien” from the 80’s when America had a backbone and a sense of humor SMH
amen
That is how the Biden unenforced law describes the offence..
This is why DEI is so important. The term is not offensive until it is offensive to someone. If he know the term would offend another student, would he still asked the question?
Absolutely BS.. It is so easy to say something is offensive these days. I take offense to the school’s decision… What should I do now?
@Concerned: You can stop re-electing the same people over and over to the school board. It looks like the voters for the Lexington City School Board keep re-electing incumbents over and over. Want things to change? Stop voting for the same thing. #ReapWhatYouVote
This has nothing to do with the Lexington city school board. Central Davidson is a county school not city school.
The offended party must have identified as one.
I understand the central part of this story, but I’m left wondering why high schoolers would be assigned vocabulary assignments with words like alien. Shouldn’t 3rd graders know how to spell that word and use it correctly in a sentence? Also, someone should look at federal and state policies, because many reference “illegal aliens.”
exactly!! it’s such a strange word for a high schooler to have on a vocab list. and while the phrase “illegal alien” can be used offensively, in this context it’s completely harmless. it’s not like he said “like a green guy from space or like (hispanic classmates name)”
Are there illegal aliens in the class or school. I’d sue the teacher , school and principal
And the flood will continue. Our children deserve the best. Has anyone tracked the number of teacher vacancies that are posted throughout our state? It paints a vivid picture.
More liberal crap in our school systems. If someone comes across the border and breaks our laws doing so, they are illegal immigrants. It’s a valid word and to me his right to free speech has been taken away from him. Hopefully his parents will hire a lawyer.
illegal alien, illegal alien, illegal alien, ICE, ICE, ICE. Now put me in jail for wanting our borders closed and protected. There is nothing wrong with people entering this Great County of ours but the legal way. I welcome all legal aliens. No offence ET and don,t forget to call home. By the way, to the family of this young man, get a lawyer and sue the hell out of the school!
I think the school is wrong with what happened. This is a intellegent student and he does not deserve this punishment.
Move out of liberal towns and make liberals lives hell if the move to your town.
I guess the school system did not think Christian’s rights?
First amendment!!!!
I don’t recognize any so-called “authority” that violates the 1st amendment and therefore the constitution of the United States. That is why every politician and deep state bureaucrat should be charged and prosecuted!!! Parents get your children out of public schools and universities!!!
Well when you register anything youre transferring your rights over . Look up what register means
That figures. The whole country is going to sh*t and Biden and his cronies are saying there is nothing wrong and progress is being made. Tell that to this kid who should be honored at the highest level. Good for you, young man. It’s time we stand up against oppression.
Where do people get the idea that they have the expectation to go through life and never be offended? I just don’t understand. I’m offended all the time by the lyrics and songs, I hear, some of the clothes I see people wearing, the killing of innocent babies, in the name of choice. How big of an ego do you have to have to think that everyone should capitulate to your ideas and be worried about whether or not you are offended? That’s the epitome of self-centeredness ;check your liberal Democrat woke privilege
Fire the liberal, spineless principal, suspended the complaining student and flush the whole putrid system that believes this bs!
Looks to me like he knew the rules and pushed the envelope anyway thinking nothing would come of it or at least it wouldn’t be as serious as being labeled what he most likely is and is now having his parents try to fight him out of it. “Like illegal alien without a green card” is a question that he knew was not the right setting to add to his curiosity over the assignment, but he figured “It’s America and I can say what I want” and found out. My advice to his parents would be to teach him to abide by the rules or suffer with what comes with it. Instead of breaking rules and crying over it, abide by them and work hard to get yourself in a position to change the rules.
Not to disrespect you, you made an intelligent comment. However has nothing to do with RACE Hispanic/ Latin is an ethnicity and or culture. It’s only sensitive if someone is ILLEGAL. if I call myself a black woman should I be offended if someone says white women?
He was asking a question of the teacher. If teachers can’t teach, which obviously this one can’t, they should be removed!
Oregonian
Obvious tbiden voted for the worst, lying corrupt waste of humanity that ever disgraced the White House and his boss obuma. You need to move to dc to be with like minded fools and stop infecting j.county
Amen! Preach it Rip!
The administration of this school has literally overstepped with this punishment. They should have talked to the boy, not suspended him. I’m blown away by this decision. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this term.
Typical! “They” always try to hide their racial comments when called out. I call it throw the rock & hid your hand! His father should teach him to be a man and say what u mean and mean what you say.
This is absolutely ridiculous. Trump screams about illegal aliens and he’s about to be nominated as president again, and this kid gets suspended? Make that make sense 🧐
All the maga morons are accounted for I see