Media Availability: The student and her mother are available to speak with the media on Wednesday, February 22, 12-4 PM ET
(WASINGTON, D.C., 2/21/23) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the James T. Alton Middle School in Vine Grove, Ky., to expunge the disciplinary record of a 7th grade African-American Muslim female student who was suspended after she fought back when a white male student allegedly attempted to rip her hijab (Islamic religious head covering) off at school.
The school has so far refused CAIR’s request to remove the disciplinary citation from her record. CAIR also expressed deep concern about reports that the male student who initiated the physical altercation was not suspended even though the Muslim student was suspended.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: The 7th grade female student and her mother, Kenneisha Turner Wright, are available to speak with the media on Wednesday, February 22, from 12-4 PM ET, with CAIR facilitating the call. To arrange an interview, please contact CAIR Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison at [email protected], subject line: “Vine Grove Incident.” CAIR is requesting that the media withhold the name of the female student because she is a minor.
BACKGROUND: On October 25, 2022, an altercation took place at James T. Alton Middle School. A white male student reportedly initiated a conflict with two female students, blocking them in a hallway. The mother of one of those two female students, a 7th grade African-American Muslim, was able to privately view a copy of the video of this alleged attempted assault over the winter school break.
While the video lacked any audio, the mother of the student reports that her daughter allegedly experienced the following:
1) Exchanged words with the white male student who was blocking her and her friend’s way in the hall.
2) Her daughter walked away from the verbal exchange.
3) Her daughter was pursued by the male student from behind.
4) The white male student physically grabbed at her daughter’s hijab, making contact with her
religious head covering.
4) Her daughter was forced to hold onto her hijab to keep it from falling off. Following that, the video shows her having to adjust her hijab back to its proper placement.
5) The white male student then unsuccessfully tried to run off quickly before her daughter could realize it was him.
6) Finally, because there is no audio, it is unclear what the white male student then said to her daughter prior to her daughter retaliating, with a physical back and forth conflict then ensuing.
CAIR is concerned about this reported exchange captured on video and is questioning why the school did not treat this as an anti-Muslim bias incident or respond to the concerns raised by the female student’s family over their daughter’s hijab being targeted her by her alleged male attacker.
The civil rights organization is also concerned that following this incident, informal reports from students that attend the school suggest the school administration punished the African-American female Muslim student more severely than the white male student involved.
According to greatschools.org, it is reported that 62% of the students at the school are white, compared to the 16% of students that are black. Federal studies have shown that black students are more likely to be punished and punished more severely than their white counterparts.
On December 14, 2022, CAIR initially reached out to the school’s principal to privately request the school re-evaluate this incident and the disciplinary actions taken, taking into consideration that the female Muslim student reportedly fought off a possible hate crime – the attempted removal of her hijab.
On January 13, CAIR privately repeated that request following the mother of the student having the opportunity to view a copy of the school’s video of the incident.
On January 19, the Hardin County Board of Education’s attorneys responded to CAIR by denying its request for a re-evaluation of the disciplinary actions taken against the female Muslim student.
CAIR National’s 2022 Civil Rights Report, Still Suspect, documented various school-related complaints ranging from bullying, Islamophobic school curriculum, and holiday denials in 2021. Bullying is consistently one of the most common types of school-related complaints received at CAIR offices around the country.
SEE: 2022 Civil Rights Report: Still Suspect
https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Still-Suspect-Report-2022.pdf
Bias and Bullying in Public Schools: Mitigating the Impact on Muslim and Perceived-as-Muslim Students
A 2022 poll by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding reports that almost half (48%) of Muslim families with school-age children reported having a child who faced religious-based bullying in the past year, with one in five families saying their child faces such bullying on a daily basis.
SEE: AMERICAN MUSLIM POLL 2022: A Politics and Pandemic Status Report
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected] CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]