Oh, no, I totally agree about the dog-whistle and everything else you say. And lumping them together when the daughter didn't sound at all unusually "out of control" by any interpretation (I can't count the number of people I know whose kids have occasionally refused school, and yeah, generally it was a sign of depression) was another reason not to trust the narrative. Plus I don't think anyone has said yet that you can't be "expelled" for a short period - the daughter must have been suspended, no? Which doesn't sound nearly as bad.