Muslim civil rights group sends letter to district seeking corrective action to protect students and families
The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Franklin-McKinley School District Trustee Marc Cooper to resign following his anti-Muslim remarks made during a September board meeting.
In a letter sent today to the Franklin-McKinley School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent, CAIR-SFBA also welcomed the Board’s Sept. 22 vote formally rebuking Cooper and urged the district to take additional steps to protect Muslim students and families.
At the Sept. 8 meeting, Cooper distributed Bible literature to fellow trustees and the superintendent while discussing the Sept. 11 attacks, referred to the perpetrators as “cowardly, radical Muslims,” and asserted that the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled three times that America is a Christian nation.
The Board subsequently voted 4-1 to rebuke Cooper for discrimination against Muslims and for making inaccurate claims about the law. Trustee Rudy Rodriguez also publicly called for Cooper’s resignation.
In a statement, CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo said:
“Twenty-five years after 9/11, Muslim children should not still have to carry the burden of having their faith associated with terrorism, especially by an elected official entrusted with their education.
“Trustee Cooper’s remarks were not made in a vacuum. Half of Muslim students surveyed across California have experienced bullying because of their faith, and nearly one in three reported offensive or inappropriate behavior from school staff. When an elected school board member uses his position to associate Islam with terrorism while suggesting that Christianity holds a preferred place in our country, Muslim students and families are right to question whether they are equally welcome and protected.
“We appreciate the Board for making clear that these remarks do not represent the district’s values. But given Trustee Cooper’s history of previous censure and the seriousness of using an official platform in this way, we join Trustee Rodriguez and the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley Branch in calling for his resignation.
“Every child should be able to walk into their school knowing they belong there, regardless of their faith. The district now has an opportunity to make that commitment unmistakable.”
CAIR-California’s 2025 school bullying report, based on a survey of 1,802 Muslim students ages 11 to 18 across 48 California counties, found that 50 percent experienced peer bullying because of their religious identity. Nearly one in three reported offensive or inappropriate behavior by school staff, including derogatory remarks about Islam and Muslims. Half reported a lack of safety, belonging and emotional comfort at school, and 67 percent of students who experienced peer bullying did not report it to school staff.
SEE: CAIR-CA 2025 Bullying Report
Cooper’s remarks come 25 years after the Sept. 11 attacks, which continue to shape attitudes toward American Muslims. A September 2026 Pew Research Center survey found that 43 percent of U.S. adults believe Muslims are less patriotic than other Americans and 42 percent believe American Muslims have a negative impact on the country. Pew noted that American Muslims shared in the country’s grief and fear after 9/11 while also carrying the additional burden of being singled out for suspicion.
SEE: Pew Research Center, “25 Years After 9/11, a Portrait of Muslim Americans”
In its letter, CAIR-SFBA asked the district to provide training on religious discrimination and religious liberty, review its trustee code of conduct, strengthen protections and reporting mechanisms for Muslim students, engage directly with Muslim families and community organizations, and establish clear expectations regarding the promotion or distribution of religious materials during official district business.
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-SFBA Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, 408.498.5779, [email protected]