MALDEN, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts charter school where an eighth-grader was cited for a uniform violation for wearing a hijab says it understands “the handling of the situation was insensitive.”
A family member of a Mystic Valley Regional Charter School student posted a photo on social media of the “School Uniform Compliance Form” the student received from her teacher for wearing a hijab on Thursday. In the description of the offence, the headscarf worn by Muslim women was misspelled as ‘jihab’.
In an emailed statement, the school said it allows students to wear religious clothing “as an expression of their sincere beliefs” but asks students to provide a letter “expressing the desire from a member of their clergy.”
Schools Superintendent Alex Dan said there were no consequences for the student and that the form sent home should have started a conversation with the family about getting a religious accommodation. But Dan admitted that the situation was not handled properly.
“While we would like to reiterate that the esteemed officer monitoring the process should bear no responsibility for what happened, we understand how insensitive our handling of the situation was and look forward to using this moment as an opportunity to learn how to improve our policies and procedures,” the school said in a statement.
The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says its lawyers are representing the student’s family and investigating the situation. The student now wears a hijab at school, the group said.
CAIR-Massachusetts Executive Director Tahira Amatul-Wadoud said wearing the hijab or other religious clothing should not require families to find housing.
“I wish this student would never have to make excuses for what she’s wearing,” she said Sunday. “I don’t want them to ever have to make the excuse that it requires an adjustment.”
Mystic Valley Regional Charter School also came under fire in 2017 for its no hair extensions policy. The parents of the then-15-year-old girls said their twin daughters, who are black, were punished for getting hair extensions, while the white students were not punished for breaking hairstyle rules.
In July, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker signed the law The incident prompted the state to ban discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles — such as Afros, cornrows or tight curls — in workplaces, school districts and school organizations.
This story has been corrected to reflect that the name of the group is Council on American-Islamic Relations, not Islamic-American Relations.
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