Atlanta high school student suspended for hugging teacher (TV)

ATLANTA (Reuters) – A suburban Atlanta high school student has been suspended for a year for hugging a teacher, a television station reported.

The suspension could derail Sam McNair’s chances of getting a college athletic scholarship, his mother, April McNair, told Atlanta station WGCL.

“He’s a senior. He plays football and was getting ready for lacrosse and you’re even stripping him of a full athletic scholarship to college,” April McNair told the station.

McNair, 17, was suspended Dec. 3 after a school hearing officer ruled that he violated Gwinnett County Schools’ sexual harassment rules, the station said. The television report did not identify the teacher.

Sloan Roach, a spokeswoman for the school system, told Reuters she was limited in what she could say about the matter because it was a disciplinary matter.

The McNairs could not immediately be reached for comment.

The station reported that the teacher also accused McNair of kissing her on the cheek and back of her neck during the hug. Citing the school’s disciplinary report, the station said the teacher said she had previously warned McNair that the hugs were inappropriate. Reuters could not immediately confirm the contents of the disciplinary report.

In the WGCL interview, Sam McNair said the teacher never warned him against hugging and said he did not kiss or sexually harass him.

“Something so innocent can be seen as something completely opposite,” McNair said.

Roach said the suspension was issued after a “review of the known facts.” She said school officials consider testimony and a student’s disciplinary history when reviewing disciplinary matters.

The decision can be appealed to the Georgia State Board of Education, she said.

WGCL reported that Sam McNair had a school disciplinary record but not for sexual harassment.

(Editing by Kevin Gray and David Gregorio)