Student Hugs Teacher, Gets Suspended and Loses Scholarship

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

A high school senior from Georgia won't graduate after being suspended for a year and will have a tough time paying for college after being stripped of his scholarship — all for hugging a teacher.

Footage of the incident captured by surveillance cameras inside Duluth High School shows Sam McNair, 17, approach the teacher from the side and then wrap his arms around her.

The teacher told school officials McNair's "cheeks and lips" touched her nape, but he denies that.

McNair also denied having been warned that hugging teachers could get him in trouble, and says he's hugged teachers in the past without repercussions.

Nonetheless, a school hearing officer ruled that McNair had violated the district's sexual harassment policy, and would be suspended for the rest of the school year.

McNair's mother defended her son, saying he comes from a family of "huggers" and his motives were "innocent."

She also blasted the school for not informing her in advance that her son's hugging was problematic and could lead to a suspension and loss of scholarship.

"He's a senior. He plays football and was getting ready for lacrosse and you're stripping him of even getting a full scholarship for athletics for college," she told CBS Atlanta.

The school district would not comment on the incident except to say that "hearing officers consider witness testimony, a review of the known facts, and a student's past disciplinary history...when determining consequences."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ga-student-suspended-for-year-after-hugging-teacher/

Well this is bizarre, it is kind of weird that a high school senior would want to hug his teachers all the time. And having it cost him so much for his future seems extreme. You really would think if it was such a problem and he was doing it too much his parents would have been contacted at some point, when I was in high school anything bad was immediately reported to parents even if you were already 18.

 

[Teelie]

It's probably inappropriate to hug someone at school unprepared like this but the consequences are far too excessive. Zero intelligence tolerance policy at work again.

 

[NickNitro]

You're going to ruin this child's future because of this? **** you.

 

[Schlosser85]

I wouldn't go around hugging my teachers, but this is ridiculously excessive.

Stripping him of his scholarship? Way to be vindictive *******s.

 

[Teelie]

Oh, and while we're on the subject of school d'oh's, there's this:

Ho ho -- huh?

The family of an African-American high school student in New Mexico says he's crushed after a teacher questioned why he was wearing Santa garb during a school holiday dress-up day last week,

The teacher told Christopher Rougier, a freshman at Cleveland High School, that he couldn't be Santa because Santa is white, the student's father, Michael, told KOAT.

"He was embarrassed," he told the station.

Now, his son doesn't want anything to do with Christmas.

Michael Rougier said the teacher called his wife to apologize, but that's not enough.

"He needs to be fired," Rougier told KOAT. "For him to make a comment like that, there has to be at a minimum prejudice in him, and we don't have room for that."

School district offices were not yet open early Monday morning, and spokeswoman Kim Vesely did not immediately return a telephone call from CNN seeking comment.

CNN

Good work there, Mr. Teacher.

Though in this case I think firing him might be too excessive as well.

 

[Quasimod0]

Ridiculous. Makes me so angry.

 

[thalidomide]

 

[Schlosser85]

The blatantly racist teacher in the other story deserves more punishment than the kid who hugged a teacher.

 

[Superwoman Prime]

None of this is surprising anymore. Someday we'll have a headline "Student Expelled Because. Just Because".

 

[Superwoman Prime]

And "Judge Grants John Wayne Gacy Copy-Cat Free Trip to Disney World".

 

[Tropico]

*Waits for the people to start saying that's what happens when the 6 year old kid isn't straightened out of his demonstrations of affection*

 

[Dark Raven]

I've seen black Santas in stores or on the street before.

And that does seem excessive with the student. Don't some students hug their teachers if they have passed their exams or are saying goodbye to them at the end of the year? Not that I ever did that. I only ever had one hot teacher and she left before the end of the school year.

 

[chamber-music]

Our one male primary school teacher told our class he loved us all once which was greeted by people saying gross. Probably couldn't get away with saying that these days.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of school d'oh's, there's this:

CNN

Good work there, Mr. Teacher.

Though in this case I think firing him might be too excessive as well.

I got dumb racist comments like that as well when I was at school.

A white classmate of mine once asked me why I played guitar when I was black

I thought he was joking but he was serious

 

[Dark Raven]

I suppose Jimi Hendrix was white.

 

[Teelie]

I think he should certainly be reprimanded. It was a mistake to say and definitely inappropriate but there should be a reasonable response instead of suspension/loss of scholarship or firing a teacher for a bone-headed comment.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

DJ's back on business !

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

I wonder if he was close to the teacher? Be odd if they had a great student and teacher relationship, and he hugged her as means to say ''thank you for everything.'' But if he didn't know her, then touching someone is not a good idea, especially if that person is not comfortable with being touched.

But I agree with the majority, the punishment was way too serve. Worst case should've been, McNair apologies to the teacher, and he's warned about touching teachers.

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Do they have any evidence that the teacher said this, other than hearsay? What if the student had an unrelated grudge against the teacher and fabricated this story? Should we believe a minority person every time they accuse someone of prejudice or racism?

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Why is Orson Scott Card allowed to disparage homosexuals and receive money for a blockbuster, while Paula Deen used the 'n' word at some point and loses her job?

 

[Schlosser85]

Orson Scott Card should be allowed to disparage homosexuals all he wants, no matter how ignorant it makes him sound, and Paula Deen shouldn't have lost her job for far more innocuous comments than half the crap that's come out of Card's mouth.

 

[NewYorkSpider]

This is way too excessive. I could see him getting a one/two day suspension, but a year suspension and a loss of his scholarship? Pathetic.

 

[Tropico]

Do they have any evidence that the teacher said this, other than hearsay? What if the student had an unrelated grudge against the teacher and fabricated this story? Should we believe a minority person every time they accuse someone of prejudice or racism?

Should we believe a woman every time she accuses someone of sexual harassment?

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Orson Scott Card should be allowed to disparage homosexuals all he wants, no matter how ignorant it makes him sound, and Paula Deen shouldn't have lost her job for far more innocuous comments than half the crap that's come out of Card's mouth.

Agreed.

I see a sterile, hypocritical white sub-culture tripping backwards over itself to advocate "equality."

Should we believe a woman every time she accuses someone of sexual harassment?

Good that you brought this up. Please refer to the above.

 

[TX85]

This punishment is beyond stupid by everyone except the school district already knows that

 

[Steyin]

I wish I were a millionaire so that when things like this come up, I could offer to pay for the kid's college when the time came and put his current school and all its board members, etc, to shame.