Student explains, “I wasn’t speaking of Hispanics because everyone from other countries needs green cards…”
A high school student in Lexington, North Carolina, reportedly incurred a 3-day suspension for uttering the term “illegal alien” during English class.
According to parent Leah McGhee, her 16-year-old son was asking for clarification when the term “alien” was presented as a vocabulary word during his Central Davidson High School class.
He asked, “Like space aliens or illegal aliens without green cards?”
After the student’s question triggered another student, who threatened to fight him, the assistant principal was summoned and the initial student who said “illegal alien” was determined to be in the wrong.
“Ultimately, his words were deemed by administrative staff to be offensive and disrespectful to classmates who are Hispanic,” reports the Carolina Journal.
The student insisted he meant no offense by his use of the term, saying, “I didn’t make a statement directed towards anyone; I asked a question.”
“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,” he added.
The Journal notes the Davidson County Schools district handbook claims student’s free speech rights could be restricted in certain situations:
The student handbook says that “schools may place restrictions on a student’s right to free speech when the speech is obscene, abusive, promoting illegal drug use, or is reasonably expected to cause a substantial disruption to the school day.”
The student is now concerned his record will be marred by allegations of “racism,” which could affect his efforts to attain college scholarships.
The student’s suspension comes as Joe Biden’s open southern border has become a hot button political issue going into the 2024 presidential election, as droves of illegal aliens pour into the United States with no end in sight.
