The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is officially launching an investigation into accusations against an Ann Arbor school counselor who reportedly made a discriminatory remark towards a Muslim student. The inquiry, confirmed on Tuesday, centers around an incident at Tappan Middle School, where a counselor is accused of calling a Palestinian Muslim student a "terrorist." The claim, filed in December by the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), has prompted the federal probe into the school's response to the alleged harassment.
The district has currently chosen not to publicly discuss the matter. "The Ann Arbor Public Schools does not comment on pending legal matters," Andrew Cluley, a district representative, said in an email Wednesday. Meanwhile, CAIR-MI's executive director Dawud Walid stated, as reported by The Detroit News, "Calling a Palestinian Muslim student a 'terrorist' is a very offensive and hurtful comment that was compounded by the school board’s seeming lack of concern for the student when it was brought to their attention."
The alleged incident took place on November 14, when the student, waiting to speak with his guidance counselor, inquired with another counselor if he could get a drink of water. The reply he received, according to CAIR-MI's complaint, was the counselor stating, "I don’t negotiate with terrorists." No apology was reportedly offered. Instead, subsequent polling from the counselor to others asking if they had heard the phrase before was claimed. The student felt the remark was a slur, targeting his ethnicity and religion, and alleged that he was subsequently subjected to isolation from the counselors, as per the Detroit Free Press.
CAIR-MI attorney Amy Doukoure expressed her satisfaction that the U.S. Department of Education is taking steps to potentially rectify the situation. She said, "An investigation of this nature can have serious implications for the school district if it is found that they acted inappropriately, and we hope that the school district will finally recognize the seriousness of this matter and the harm that it caused the student", according to MLive.
This federal investigation adds to a series of recent events that have brought Ann Arbor Public Schools into the spotlight, including the resignation of Superintendent Jeanice Swift and separate scrutiny arising from an incident involving a student with autism on a school bus. These developments arise amidst the district's efforts to pass a resolution supporting a cease-fire in the conflict between Gaza and Israel, which has generated mixed reactions within the local community.
