North Carolina student, 16, suspended for ‘alien’ comment, mom says

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A North Carolina mother says her 16-year-old son was suspended from school for referring to “aliens without green cards” during a vocabulary assignment.

Lexington mom Leah McGhee says her child received a three-day out-of-school suspension last week after asking for clarification from his teacher for the term “alien.”

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“Like space aliens or aliens without green cards?” the student asked, according to McGee, reports U.S. broadcaster Sinclair Group’s Crisis in the Classroom.

The mother claimed that a classmate heard the comment and threatened her son.

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According to Central Davidson High School assistant principal, the comment was “racially insensitive” and disrespectful to Hispanic students.

“I didn’t make a statement directed towards anyone; I asked a question,” the boy said, according to McGee. “I wasn’t speaking of Hispanics because everyone from other countries need(s) green cards, and the term ‘illegal alien’ is an actual term that I hear on the news and can find in the dictionary.”

The student is apparently worried that the suspension being on his school record would affect his chances at receiving a pole vaulting scholarship.

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“If this was handled properly in the classroom, it could have easily been used as a teachable moment for everyone,” McGhee told The Pete Kaliner Show. “I feel that the negligence of the administration’s decision has fueled the injustice of suspension for a student who simply asked for clarification to a teacher’s instructions.”

McGee said she was able to appeal the suspension to the school board as it was less than 10 days.

“We love Central Davidson High School and we are thankful that our child has such a wonderful school to attend,” McGhee wrote. “However, we feel that this label of racism is extremely excessive.”

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