A North Carolina teenager was suspended from school for using the term “illegal immigrants” during a classroom discussion, an action that school administrators likened to “saying the N-word.”
Christian McGee, 16, was suspended for three days in April after asking a teacher whether the word “alien” referred to “space aliens or illegal immigrants who need green cards,” Fox News reported. report.
Another student allegedly threatened to “kick him.” [Christian’s] Following this comment, Christian was accused of “disrupting class with racist remarks,” and a vice principal at Davidson County Schools concluded that Christian had “disrupted class with racist remarks.”
But when the administrator asked the two boys about the incident, the other boy laughed and said, “It’s no big deal,” according to audio recordings played in court.
The McGehee family, represented by the Liberty Justice Center, are suing the Davidson County School Board for violating Christian’s free speech, education and due process rights.
The Justice Center on Tuesday filed a motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to have the suspension expunged from Christian’s school record, presenting as evidence alarming communications from administrators and school committee members.
“He was adamant that he wasn’t asking the question to be rude on purpose, and I talked to him about rephrasing the question to ‘people who need green cards’ instead of ‘illegal immigrants.’ There is a respectful way to ask that question and a very rude way to ask it,” the vice principal, who the outlet did not name, can be heard saying in the audio recording.
“I agree that missing three days of school is tough, but that’s a line we drew in August. It was hard to make him do that because I didn’t want to go either… but that was a decision we made in August,” the administrator continued, comparing the language to using a racial slur.
“And if I don’t give it to him, then I’m being unfair to the other 15 students that I’ve given it to for saying racist language or any other kind of racist thing that’s disruptive in the classroom,” the administrator argued.
The vice principal also acknowledged that the other student involved in the altercation “laughed it off,” but Christian still had to be punished.
“[H]”He thought it was funny or at least laughed and said, ‘Oh, it’s no big deal,’ and then I was in the hallway talking to two boys and Ms. Hill and they said, ‘It’s just a word. It’s no big deal, right?’ and I said, ‘No, sir, that word is a big deal in the way it’s said and what it means,'” the administrator said.
The Liberty Justice Center also provided screenshots of messages between School Committee member Ashley Carroll and “community leaders,” Fox News reported.
In a message to local Jewish community leaders, Carroll likened the term “illegal immigrants” to anti-Semitism.
“Would I spank my kids when they make anti-Semitic remarks?” she wrote.
“It’s a three-day suspension. It’s not the end of the world,” she added.
Carroll also slammed Christian’s mother, Leah McGehee, for trying to get the school committee to revoke his suspension by releasing a photo of his mugshot from an arrest.
“If you want to know what kind of person you’re dealing with, here’s your mother’s record. Didn’t you work hard to get drug dealers off our streets?” Carol messaged the former officer.
The family’s lawyer said Christian was forced to drop out of school altogether because of bullying.
“Branded a racist by his school, Christian was ostracized, bullied and threatened after returning to school. Concerned for his safety, his parents withdrew him and he is now finishing the semester in a homeschool program,” the justice center said in a statement. statement.
“Christian asked factual, non-threatening questions about words that were being discussed in class, yet the school board falsely accused him of being a racist,” said senior counsel Buck Dougherty. “Not only did the school violate his constitutional right to free speech, but it also violated his right to due process and to an education guaranteed under North Carolina law. We stand with Christian and his family and are proud to challenge this egregious violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.”
“School officials have essentially fabricated a racism case, denied our client an opportunity for appeal, and branded him a racist. Thankfully, this young man did not waive his First Amendment rights at school, and we look forward to defending Christian rights here,” said Dean McGee, education freedom attorney at the Liberty Justice Center.
“We believe that as the litigation proceeds, a preliminary injunction will be granted and my client’s record will be expunged,” McGehee told Fox News.
