A lawyer with the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called the actions of the teacher — who is white — “reprehensible.”
by Maddie Hanna and Kristen A. Graham | Philadelphia Inquirer
A sixth grader at the Darby Township School in the Southeast Delco School District was forced by his teacher to kneel and beg to have his cell phone returned, according to a lawyer for the student’s family.
The student is Black and Muslim, and a lawyer with the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called the actions of the teacher — who is white — “reprehensible.”
“It’s not something we would tolerate with someone entrusted with educating children,” said Timothy Welbeck, a civil rights attorney with CAIR who is working with the family of the student, whom The Inquirer is identifying only by his first name, Jahir, at the family’s request.
Brenda Wynder, the district’s superintendent, said the incident was under investigation.
“Under the advisement of counsel, we do not have any comments at this time,” Wynder said in an email. She did not respond to a follow-up question about the teacher’s employment status.
Welbeck said Southeast Delco’s response to date was “not satisfactory.” Jahir’s teacher returned to class two days after the Dec. 15 incident, Welbeck said, and the district has not informed the family of any reprimand or punishment.
