California high school students given Qurans, encouraged to wear hijabs during class trip to mosque: suit

Parents of Bay Area high school students taken on a field trip to a mosque are suing over the visit — alleging students were encouraged to wear hijabs and given Qurans.A group representing two Jewish parents of Palo Alto High School students, three former Jewish students, a Hindu parent and a Zoroastrian parent is suing the school over claims the children were exposed to the idea that Islam was aligned with social justice work.The group, Community Members for Religious Neutrality in Public Schools, says students in the school’s Social Justice Pathway program took a trip to the mosque last fall and were handed Qurans while female students were encouraged to wear hijabs, the Islamic face covering viewed by some as oppressive to women.The lawsuit also alleges photos of the students were taken and posted online without parental consent.Palo Alto Unified School District and Palo Alto High School principal Brent Kline were also named in the lawsuit.PAUSD Superintendent Jason Glass told the San Francisco Chronicle in a statement that the district only found out about the lawsuit through news coverage and had not been served with any papers.

Glass said he had read the complaint, but the district could not verify any allegationsGlass said any religious teachings must be academic and not devotional.Typically, hijabs are only worn by practicing Muslim women and girls.

He said the district is reviewing its practices.The parents are looking for an admission from the school district that it was negligent in supervising students and violated the privacy rights of students and the parents’ right to due process under the law.The suing parents also alleged the students were “exposed” to Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the Bay Area’s office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.She drew some ire for statements she made in May urging supporters to be more discreet in their hate of Zionists.“Now imagine your LinkedIn profile says, ‘I hate all Zionists,�...