North Carolina student who was suspended for saying illegal alien in class to receive $20K, apology from school in settlement
The family of a North Carolina high school student suspended last year for saying “illegal alien” in English class has dropped their lawsuit against the district in exchange for a public apology and $20,000.Christian McGhee, 17, received a three-day suspension for using the phrase while discussing word meanings during his English class at Central Davidson High School in Lexington on April 9, 2024.McGhee’s mother, Leah, had filed a lawsuit in which she accused the school and the Davidson County Board of Education of violating her son’s First Amendment rights.However, McGhee’s family and the school board settled on Wednesday after a year-long battle in the courts, according to court documents.The board has agreed to remove all references to racial bias in McGhee’s school record and issue a public apology “for the mischaracterization of racial bias” in his record, documents show.The board will also provide him with $20,000 in compensation to help his family with the costs of tuition at his new private school, which he was forced to transfer to after being suspended.“On Friday, we filed a motion asking the court to approve a settlement that would resolve this matter.
Because Christian is a minor, a court hearing is required before the settlement can become final,” McGee’s lawyer told the Carolina Journal.“We’ll have more to say after that hearing, which is currently scheduled for July 1st.We’re pleased to take this important step toward clearing our client’s name.”When the incident occurred, a teacher gave the teen an assignment that used the word “alien,” and he asked, “Like space aliens or illegal aliens without green cards?”A Hispanic student in McGhee’s class reportedly “joked” that he was going to “kick Christian’s ass,” so the teacher escalated the matter to Central Davidson’s Assistant Principal Eric Anderson.McGhee’s words were deemed offensive and disrespectful to his classmates, prompting Anderson to su...