Brian Ferguson, 20, was thrilled to be taking classes at Navarro College’s Waxahachie campus in Texas as part of the school’s special-needs program with the Waxahachie Independent School District. Ferguson, who suffers from autism which causes trouble with communication, often uses hugs to greet people he knows. When Ferguson greeted a women he thought he knew by giving her a hug and a kiss on the top of her head, school officials branded it assault and kicked him out of school for good.

"He gave her a hug and kissed her on the top of her head. He's 6-foot-5, so when he gives hugs, he'll give you a big hug and kiss you right here on the top of your scalp," Ferguson’s mother, Staci Martin told NBCDFW. "And then they labeled it 'sexual assault' because of the kissing. They said a kiss is considered an assault."

The dean of Navarro College informed Martin that her son was indefinitely suspended and is “no longer welcome back.” Although the school has denied comment on the incident due to student privacy, a one-sentence statement to NBCDFW stated: “any decision about students’ enrollment in the special-needs program are made by the individual school district.” Ferguson will be allowed to return to Waxahachie High School but yearns to be back in college.

“He cried the whole next day,” Martin added. “He got up for school, waited for the bus. I told him it wasn't coming.”