(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) A high-school student was suspended by his school after he correctly using the term “illegal alien” in an assignment for English class, the Carolina Journal reported.
Christian McGhee, a 16-year-old student at Central Davidson High School in Lexington, North Carolina, was asked to define the word “alien” as part of a vocabulary lesson.
He sought clarity by asking his teacher if she meant “space aliens or illegal aliens without green cards?”
The question reportedly triggered one of his classmates, causing things to escalate, nearly ending in a fight before the assistant principal arrived on the scene.
However, it was not until later in the day, after an administrator asked whether the other student felt offended by Christian’s question, that he was called into the office.
As a result, Christian, a member of the track and field team, was suspended his from both school and sports for three days. The suspension, which offered no appeals process, cited as the offense “using/making racially motivated comment which disrupts class.”
Christian said his statement was not meant to insult anyone but was simply an honest question.
“I didn’t make a statement directed towards anyone; I asked a question,” he said, according to the Carolina Journal.
“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.”
Christian’s mother, Leah, told Headline USA that the situation had been stressful, although she said several regional media outlets had reached out since the story broke and that the family was exploring legal options, as well, in an effort to clear Christian’s record.
“This has been a very difficult week for our family,” she said.
In an email to local officials describing the incident, she expressed her concerns about the school’s disciplinary policy, noting that the suspension would likely cost Christian more than just a few school days due to the stigma surrounding the specific allegations.
“Because of his question, our son was disciplined and given THREE days OUT of school suspension for ‘racism,’” she wrote.
She said Christian was worried about being canceled now that he has been labeled a racist.
“Christian is devastated and concerned that the racism label on his school record will harm his future goal of receiving a track scholarship,” she said. “We are concerned that he will fall behind in his classes due to being absent for three consecutive days.”
Central Davidson teachers and administrators offered a form response to Headline USA’s inquiries, saying they were unable to comment on specific student matters due to federal privacy laws.
“Please know that Davidson County Schools administrators take all discipline incidents seriously and investigate each one thoroughly,” they wrote. “Any violation of the code of conduct is handled appropriately by administrators.”
In 2021, the school received backlash for hosting a red-, white- and blue-themed “USA Day” as part of its homecoming week.
Some students wore political attire, with much of it celebrating former President Donald Trump, leaving others to complain that they felt intimidated, according to Davidson Local.
“It was straight up American Day,” said Principal Matthew Colton. “It’s a little unfortunate that they put the political spin on it.”
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
