The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is calling on community members to take urgent action after Sherwood High School in Montgomery County, MD, censored a student’s senior yearbook quote expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
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The student’s quote — “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — was covered with stickers, and the principal issued a letter mischaracterizing the peaceful expression as “inappropriate” and “harmful.” The school required the student to apologize publicly and offered refunds to families for the yearbook.
This is a blatant act of censorship and viewpoint discrimination.
Peaceful political speech — especially on urgent human rights issues like the ongoing genocide in Gaza — is protected under the First Amendment. Silencing student voices sends a chilling message that only certain political perspectives are welcome in our schools.
TAKE ACTION:
Demand Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) do the following:
- Retract the letter that mischaracterized the student’s quote.
- Apologize publicly to the school community for silencing Palestinian advocacy.
- Affirm students’ First Amendment rights to free speech and political expression.
- Establish clear protections for students speaking on controversial global issues.
WHY THIS MATTERS: Students have a constitutional right to express their political and human rights views — including support for Palestinian freedom. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) must not allow censorship and viewpoint discrimination to chill students’ advocacy or silence dissent.
Share your concern as a parent, student, educator, or ally — and urge MCPS to protect student speech and stand against censorship rooted in Islamophobia or political bias.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com; CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, 410-971-6062, zchaudry@cair.com; CAIR Maryland Outreach Coordinator Kim Syuardi, ksyuardi@cair.com, 202-850-9293