A 17-year-old high school student in the US has been suspended for a year for alleged sexual harassment after he hugged his teacher.

Sam McNair, a student at Duluth High School in Georgia was suspended last week after he was found to have violated the school's rules on sexual harassment.

A video of the hug, which was captured on CCTV, shows McNair entering a room last month and placing his arms around his teacher before tucking his head behind her neck, 'CBS Atlanta' reported.

"Something so innocent can be perceived as something totally opposite," said McNair. The teacher, according to a discipline report, has alleged that McNair's cheeks and lips touched the back of her neck and cheek. She had warned McNair that hugs were inappropriate but the teenager disputes it, the discipline report said.

However, McNair denied kissing his teacher or sexually harassing her. McNair said he regularly hugs his teachers and has never been disciplined for it in the past.

Sam's mother, April, said she was dumbfounded when she was informed of the suspension, the report said. April believes she should have been notified if her son's hugging was becoming problematic before suspending him and derailing his college plans.