Suspension of NC student could lead to policy changes after accusation of ‘racially motivated comment’

RALEIGH, NC (WNCN) – The case of a North Carolina high school student who was expelled from class for making a “racially motivated remark” could lead to nationwide changes under a bill a Senate committee discussed Wednesday.

Leah McGhee informed state lawmakers about the case of her 16-year-old son, Christian, who was briefly suspended without appeal from Central Davidson High School on April 9.

The McGhees have sued the school district over the incident. In the lawsuit, the McGhees claim that their son left the classroom to go to the bathroom and when he returned, the word “aliens” was mentioned during class discussion.

The lawsuit says Christian asked if they were “aliens or illegal immigrants who need a green card,” and the teacher told him to “watch what he says.” The lawsuit also says a Hispanic student threatened to beat up the teen.

Leah McGhee says her son’s comment was not racially motivated or meant as a threat. They want the school board to reverse the decision to suspend him for three days and remove the suspension from his record.

“I cannot put into words the hell our family has been through these last 60 days,” said Leah McGhee.

State Senator Steve Jarvis (R-Davidson) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would give students and their families the opportunity to appeal some short-term suspensions and request to have their records expunged. Currently, only long-term suspensions of more than 10 days can be appealed and expunged, Senator Jarvis noted.

“Ultimately, this bill is about giving students a fair hearing if they believe they have been unfairly punished,” said Senator Jarvis. “We can ensure that our students are treated fairly and have appropriate opportunities to raise their concerns.”

The bill would give students the opportunity to appeal a short-term suspension of five or more days and would require a “detailed, written eyewitness account” of the incident in question.

Democrats also expressed their support for the bill.

“Short-term suspensions increase the likelihood of a long-term suspension, which can ultimately lead to the student dropping out of school and potentially entering the criminal justice system,” said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake). “Hopefully we can provide the resources to these students so we can reduce the number of short-term suspensions and help students lead more productive lives.”

Senator Jarvis noted that there were 66,794 short-term high school suspensions lasting at least six days during the 2022-2023 school year, which is covered by the bill. The remaining 17,745 suspensions lasted five days or less.

“High school students are under significant pressure to maintain a clean record by the time they graduate, so it is important that they understand the potential long-term impact of short-term suspensions,” said Senator Jarvis.

The Senate Education Committee could vote on the bill next week.