Like 'using the N-word': Mom of student suspended for saying 'illegal alien' in class sits down with BlazeTV's Sara Gonzales

The parents of Christian McGhee, a North Carolina teen who was recently suspended for using the term "illegal alien" during class at Central Davidson High School, have now filed a federal lawsuit against the school district. Christian's mother, Leah McGhee, recently sat down with BlazeTV's Sara Gonzales on an episode of "Sara Gonzales Unfiltered" to discuss the details of the incident and the lawsuit.

Last month, Christian returned to English class after using the bathroom and found the class talking about aliens. Since he had been out of the room when the discussion began, he didn't understand the context of it. So he asked his teacher: "Like space aliens or illegal aliens who need green cards?" A student of Latino descent sitting in front of Christian then turned around and claimed he would beat Christian up for that remark, as Blaze News previously reported.

"In my line of work ... this is the battle, and this is how we win."

The entire incident seemed to have been blown out of proportion from the jump. Leah McGhee explained to Sara Gonzales that the boys were on "friendly" terms and were just teasing one another.

"This was two 16-year-old boys just going back and forth," Leah McGhee said.

The assistant principal, however, apparently insisted that Christian's question had clear racist undertones. According to Leah McGhee, despite the Latino student's statement that he took no actual offense to the term "illegal alien," the assistant principal replied, "No, sir. This is a big deal, and this does matter." He even likened the term to "using the N-word," Mrs. McGhee told Gonzales.

Both boys were later suspended. Christian received a three-day, out-of-school suspension for violating the school's code regarding racism, and the Latino student was given a one-day, in-school suspension for verbalizing threats.

Leah McGhee claimed that she, her husband, and Christian have made several overtures to explain their side of the story to school administrators and the district. She even offered to meet with the Latino student, his mother, and the teacher to clear the air.

To no avail. Not only was Christian suspended from school, but his track coach forbade him from competing in two meets, jeopardizing Christian's chances of earning a college scholarship.

But the McGhee family continues to fight against the racism label that was added to Christian's permanent record. They joined forces with the Liberty Justice Center, which filed a lawsuit against the Davidson County Board of Education, claiming the school had violated Christian's First and 14th Amendment rights.

"Schools are government," attorney Dean McGee told Sara. "And in this case, you have the government branding this kid a racist, depriving him of his right to an education for three days, depriving him of his ability to participate in track, and telling him there are no appeals permitted."

"We don't want kids being scared to ask questions in class."

Gonzales is likewise indignant that the school apparently wants to "tar and feather" Christian and "put a scarlet letter" on him over a term that is regularly used in federal law and in media. She also believes that lawsuits such as the one filed by the McGhees are the way that families with traditional beliefs and values will "win" against ideologically driven school districts and administrators.

"In my line of work, for me," Sara explained, "this is the battle, and this is how we win: We file lawsuits against all of these people."

The full episode of "Sara Gonzales Unfiltered" can be seen below, and the segment featuring Leah McGhee starts at the 8:42 mark. And be sure to subscribe to BlazeTV for more original content.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!