A student at a North Carolina high school was suspended for three days for using the term “illegal alien” in class.
Leah McGhee, the mother of a Central Davidson High School student, says her son’s teacher assigned various vocabulary words to students in English class last week, with one of the words being “alien.” Her son then asked for clarification on the word, asking the teacher, “like space aliens or illegal aliens without green cards,” prompting the suspension.
“I didn’t make a statement directed towards anyone; I asked a question,” McGhee’s son told 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.”
Leah McGhee has also stated her son is worried that this suspension could hurt his future in receiving scholarships due to “the racism label,” as her son is involved in various school and track clubs.
The McGhee family has hired an attorney to fix the suspension, though as of Monday, the school’s assistant principal has opted not to remove it from the student’s record.
Republican state Sen. Steve Jarvis has contacted the school district’s superintendent to inform him of the situation, and also asked school officials to reach the best solution for all involved in this dilemma.
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“I do not see that that would be an offensive statement, just in getting clarification,” Jarvis said. “But there again, I don’t know. I don’t know the situation of this particular incident.”
The Washington Examiner has contacted Davidson County Schools for comment.
