"You never know what someone's
going through," McNair told a presenter in Atlanta. "A hug might help."
It didn't in this case because
after McNair hugged a teacher, he ended up with a year-long suspension from
Duluth High School, putting his college plans in jeopardy.
"He's a senior; he plays
football. He was getting ready for lacrosse season, and you are stripping him of
the opportunity to even get a full scholarship for athletics for college," April
McNair, Sam's mother, told WGCL.
The elder McNair, who says she
and her son call themselves huggers, said she was dumbfounded to learn of her
son's suspension after hugging a teacher. (We were not able to reach the McNairs
for comment. We sent April McNair a message via Facebook but have not heard
back.)
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Surveillance video captures the
hug in question, showing Sam placing his arms around the teacher and giving her
a hug. The teacher then pushes him away.
According to a discipline report
obtained by WGCL, the teacher said Sam's lips and cheeks touched her neck and
that she had warned Sam about hugging in the past.
Asked if he kissed the teacher,
Sam told the television reporter he did not. He said he has hugged teachers many
times before, including this teacher, and has never been warned.
In a statement, Sloan Roach, a
spokesperson for the Gwinnett County Public Schools, told reporters, "Hearing officers
consider witness testimony, a review of the known facts, and a student's past
disciplinary history -- including long-term suspensions that result in
alternative school placement -- when determining consequences."
"If a parent has concerns about
the outcome of a panel, he or she is entitled to appeal the decision to the
Gwinnett County Board of Education," Roach added.
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Since this is a discipline
issue, the law prohibits the district from sharing details about the student's
situation or the student's past discipline history, said the spokesperson.
Sam told WGCL he does have a
discipline record and previous suspensions but not for sexual harassment.
"I have five months left in my
senior year. I don't see why they would take that away from me," said Sam.
His mother plans to appeal the
school board's decision and said the school should have notified her if there
were any problems with his hugging before suspending him and threatening his
college future.
On her Facebook page, she posted
a Change.org petition, calling for the school district to
"revisit a year-long suspension for hugging a teacher." The petition had more
than 200 signatures as of Monday evening.
Reaction online has been mixed,
with many believing the punishment might be severe but raising questions about
Sam's prior history.
"Our zero tolerance is taken a
bit too far, but I have to reserve my comments since I am curious what his
'previous records' of suspension were about, as well as his disciplinary
record," said Sue Scheff, a parenting advocate.
"But I don't think hugging
constitutes sexual harassment unless he has intent otherwise and it doesn't seem
that way," said Scheff.
Some commenters said the
allegation that the teacher raised the issue before with Sam was a key
point.
"If she has warned him before
and he did it again and his hand or face touches her where she believes it's
inappropriate, like (the) neck or breast, it's textbook sexual harassment," said
a viewer on WGCL's website.
But said another commenter,
"This is crazy. Now we can't hug people anymore. What in the world?"
"Something so, so innocent can
be perceived as something totally opposite," said Sam.
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