( CNN ) -- The family of a Georgia student suspended for the rest of the school year for hugging a teacher has filed an appeal with the school board , the teen 's mother told CNN on Wednesday night . Sam McNair , a 17-year-old high school senior in Duluth , Georgia , was suspended December 3 for sexual harassment . Surveillance video captured the hug in question , showing Sam placing his arms around the teacher and giving her a hug . The teacher then pushes him away . McNair told `` Piers Morgan Live '' that he had hugged that teacher at Duluth High School before . `` Four or five times , '' he said . `` I hug all my teachers . It 's to show appreciation for what they do for me . '' He denied that the teacher had told him before to not hug her again . He also said that his lips and cheeks definitely did n't touched the teacher 's neck , as is alleged in a discipline report obtained by CNN affiliate WGCL . In a statement earlier this week , Sloan Roach , a spokesperson for the Gwinnett County Public Schools , told CNN , `` 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 . 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 spokeswoman . McNair acknowledged he had also been suspended for lengthy periods in the seventh and ninth grades , but said the first incident was from a BB gun that another student placed in his bag , and the second stemmed from medicine a teammate gave him for an injury . He had a bad reaction and it caused a `` big school disruption , '' he said . April McNair , Sam 's mother , said she was never notified that her son 's behavior this year was a problem . `` Sam is a lovable kid , '' she said , adding that he treated everyone that way . She said an appeal was sent Wednesday to the school board . She remains concerned this will negatively impact her son 's future . `` This is his senior year , '' April McNair said . `` You 've stripped that of him . '' Sam McNair said he is more cautious about he now greets people and if they seem hesitant he passes on the hug . `` I make sure I present myself as a gentleman , '' he said .
Mother says an appeal filed Wednesday . Sam McNair , a senior , was suspended for sexual harassment . Comment: Mother says she was never told that her son 's behavior was a problem .