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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Carolina school district to issue apology, pay $20K to student suspended over 'illegal alien' comment
The family of a North Carolina high school student suspended for using the term "illegal alien" is slated to receive a $20,000 payment and a public apology under a proposed settlement, according to The New York Post. The outlet reported Thursday that the settlement was reached to remove all references to racial bias from now-17-year-old Christian McGhee's record, provide compensation and issue a public apology "for the mischaracterization of racial bias." "The Proposed Settlement provides C.M. with monetary compensation intended to defray the costs of his new school, which is private and charges annual tuition," according to the document. The settlement is now pending a judge's approval. North Carolina Student Sues School Board After Suspension For Using The Term 'Illegal Alien' McGhee's lawyer, Liberty Justice Center attorney Dean McGee, told the Carolina Journal that a motion had been filed on Friday, asking the court to approve a settlement to resolve the matter. Read On The Fox News App "Because Christian is a minor, a court hearing is required before the settlement can become final," he explained. "We'll have more to say after that hearing, but we're pleased to take this important step toward clearing our client's name." The teen received a three-day suspension last year after asking his teacher if a conversation in class was centered around "spaceship aliens" or "illegal aliens who need green cards" after he returned to the classroom from the restroom. A Latino student present in the class reportedly "joked" that he was going to "kick Christian's a--," leading the teacher to escalate the situation to the assistant principal. The comment was ultimately deemed racially insensitive by the school administration, which the family disputes, and prompted a year-long legal battle. Ny Mom Files Lawsuit Against School After Son Allegedly Punished For Defending 'Two Genders' McGhee and his family maintained his innocence throughout. McGhee's mother Leah, who was behind the legal push against the district, joined "Fox & Friends" last year to air some of her grievances concerning the matter. "Christian was suspended three days, out of school suspension. He missed several very important track meets, and, since that time, we have removed him from the school," McGhee told Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt. "We have asked the school to handle this privately for weeks. I have emailed the school board for four weeks. I've had no response from the school board, and since… we had no resolution, we had no other choice but to file a lawsuit and take this public." Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Dean McGee, the family's attorney, argued at the time that the United States government uses the term "illegal alien," which is clearly defined in Webster's Dictionary, and has no racial specification. The lawsuit centered on McGhee's First Amendment rights. Fox News Digital reached out to the Davidson County School District for comment on the proposed settlement, but did not immediately receive a response. Fox News' Bailee Hill contributed to this article source: North Carolina school district to issue apology, pay $20K to student suspended over 'illegal alien' comment
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
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. Advertisement 3 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. Facebook/Leah McGhee 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. Advertisement 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.' 3 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. Facebook/Leah McGhee Advertisement 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 suspend him. Advertisement According to the suspension documents, Anderson 'declared that his comment was racially motivated,' as stated in the suit. Anderson was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit 'in his individual capacity.' 3 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. Google Maps 'I didn't make a statement directed towards anyone — I asked a question,' McGee told the Carolina Journal last year. '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. When Leah McGhee attempted to appeal the suspension, school administrators refused to budge. She then hired an attorney from the Liberty Justice Center's Educational Freedom Attorney to help clear her son's name and record. Advertisement Leah appeared on the radio show 'The Pete Kaliner Show' on WBT following the filing of the lawsuit and argued the school wasn't justified in labeling her son as a racist. 'It is a term used as federal code, and it is a term that is heard frequently on many news broadcasts,' She said. 'I feel that if this was handled properly in the classroom, it could have easily been used as a teachable moment for everyone.' Advertisement While the school district and the teen's family have settled, all involved have agreed that the school suspension will remain on Mchee's record 'because there was a class disruption caused by the comments.' The board agreed that the settlement is 'fair, reasonable, and in the best interest of Christian.'
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC conservative group embarrasses with fawning treatment of pardoned insurrectionist
Trump Supporters Hold "Stop The Steal" Rally In DC Amid Ratification Of Presidential Election. (/Brent Stirton) As 82nd Airborne veteran Scott Peoples put it in a recent op-ed for NC Newsline, President Trump's decision to pardon participants in the deadly January 6, 2021 insurrection — even those who violently assaulted police officers — was a low point in the history of the American presidency. Even many conservative Trump supporters were appalled. Sadly, however, one prominent conservative voice in North Carolina — a group that calls itself independent and libertarian — has thrown in with the rioters. In a fawning article in its newsletter, the Carolina Journal, the Raleigh-based John Locke Foundation, allowed one of the violent leaders of the assault — a North Carolina man who was later arrested for driving while impaired while on pre-trial release and found to be transporting an assault rifle and 60 rounds of ammunition — to portray himself as a victim and defender of quote 'freedom.' The bottom line: The insurrectionists who violently invaded our Capitol were not heroes but criminals. And as with Trump's pardons, those who promote their lies and delusions help undermine all of our freedoms. For NC Newsline, I'm Rob Schofield.
