Student suspended after quoting Bill Clinton

A 16-year-old student at Central Davidson High School in Lexington, North Carolina, was suspended for three days last week after using the term 'illegal alien' during an English class vocabulary assignment.

During the exercise, the student asked his teacher, "Like space aliens or illegal aliens without green cards?" Another student took offense, threatening him, leading to involvement from the assistant principal. The school deemed his words offensive and disrespectful to Hispanic classmates.

The suspended student defended his question as a term he hears in the news and finds in the dictionary, emphasizing he wasn't targeting Hispanics specifically.

The suspension could affect his pursuit of an athletic scholarship for college. Leah McGhee, his mother, expressed concerns about his future and academic progress due to the disciplinary action.

State Senator Steve Jarvis, R-Davidson, contacted the school district's superintendent about the incident, urging understanding from all perspectives. Jarvis emphasized the need for context to determine the offensiveness of the student's question.

The school district declined to comment on the student's situation, citing privacy concerns. North Carolina has seen a surge in demand for school choice, with over 72,000 applications to the Opportunity Scholarship program in February, hinting at potential budget expansion.