Jul 27, 2025 minute read

A North Carolina high school student who was suspended for using the term “illegal aliens” during a class discussion is set to receive a public apology and $20,000 in a legal settlement from the school district.

On Tuesday, the US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina finalized the agreement between 16-year-old Christian McGhee and Davidson County Schools, resolving a year-long legal battle over the student’s suspension. McGhee was suspended in April 2024 after reportedly asking during an English class discussion, “Do you mean space aliens or illegal aliens who need green cards?” The school imposed a three-day suspension and marked his permanent record with a note for “racially insensitive behavior.”

The case drew national attention, including support from President Donald Trump, who reportedly wrote a letter of recommendation for McGhee to aid in his future efforts to obtain an athletic scholarship.

As part of the settlement, Davidson County Schools must issue a public apology, correct McGhee’s record by removing references to racial insensitivity, and acknowledge the “inappropriate response to this matter by a former member.” The district is not required to admit wrongdoing as part of the agreement.

“Although the parties initially moved to seal the revised settlement agreement, they have since withdrawn any request to seal any version of their settlement,” Judge Thomas Schroeder said in the order.

Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and legal fellow at the conservative nonprofit Defending Education, commented on the case, telling Fox News that the outcome reinforces students’ First Amendment rights.

“As the Supreme Court has often reminded us in its First Amendment jurisprudence, students do not shed their free speech rights at the schoolhouse gate,” Perry said. “That it took a federal lawsuit and ultimately a court-approved settlement (including an apology to Christian, and a payment of $20,000) is indicative of how far lost many educators have become in the wake of the previous administration’s identity politics obsession.”

“No more,” she added. “The mission of American education is rooted in the viewpoint diversity of a pluralistic society. Our hope is that after Christian’s ordeal, schools will think twice about venturing into unconstitutional waters and trampling on the free speech rights of their students.”