(HARRISBURG, PA., 1/28/2025) – On Tuesday, Jan 28, the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia), the Harrisburg Palestine Coalition and the Rahman Family, the family of the 7th grade student who was called a terrorist by his teacher at Central Dauphin School District, reacted to the results of Central Dauphin School Board meeting. At the meeting, the offending teacher’s resignation was approved.
In a joint statement, CAIR-Philadelphia, Harrisburg Palestine Coalition, and the Rahman family said:
“We are glad this teacher will no longer be able to pose harm to the Central Dauphin School District community. But she should face consequences for the harm she created to our 7th grader. The questions that face our community is twofold:
1- What meaningful, concrete steps will Central Dauphin School District take to educate its teachers and community about Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Lebanese communities. Specifically, will CD put in the hard work required to regain the trust of our community by committing to educate its staff on Muslim inclusion and equity, on the full historic context of Palestine, including the Nakba which forcefully expelled over 750,000 Palestinians, and the 76+ year long, illegal occupation of Palestine and the current, ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people?
2- Will any student and parent really be safe if this teacher, who so intentionally harmed a 7th grader by calling him a terrorist and encouraging other students to look it up, just starts teaching in another public or private school? We are following procedures at Pennsylvania Department of Education to ensure her racism is known and she faces the appropriate consequences, so no other student, fellow teacher, parent, or administrator is harmed by her.”
During the school board meeting numerous speakers, including harmed student’s older brother Zain Rahman, delivered powerful speeches calling on Central Dauphin School District to take meaningful, concrete steps. The board approved the resignation of the offending teacher.
Before the school board meeting, in a joint CAIR-Philadelphia-HPC press conference, Adam Rahman, the father of the harmed student, alongside other civic and faith leaders shared their reaction to the incident.
The press conference hosted the following speakers who called upon Central Dauphin School District to teach about Palestine, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and Muslim Americans. They highlighted their concerns with CD neglecting previous intervention requests by the same family: Ahmet Tekelioglu (Executive Director, CAIR-Philadelphia), Adam Rahman (father of the harmed student), Hadeel Salameh (Harrisburg Palestine Coalition), Bonnie Carrow (Harrisburg Palestine Coalition), Omar Mussa (Palestinian Activist and Organizer), Nadia Lakmana (12th grade CD student; Student Council President), Jude Husein (Chief of State Advocacy and Strategic Initiatives; Pennsylvania State Senate), Rev D. Wayne Bender (United Grace Methodist Church, Retired Pastor), Tone Cook (PUSH and Michael’s Memory; Harrisburg city mayoral candidate).
SEE: Activists call for swift investigation into Pennsylvania teacher’s alleged racist comment
The press conference hosted the following speakers who called upon Central Dauphin School District to teach about Palestine, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and Muslim American as well as highlighting their concerns with CD neglecting previous intervention requests by the same family.
Watch full recording of the press conference here and news coverage from WGAL-HAR (NBC) here.
Also See: Central Dauphin teacher resigns following racial insult towards Muslim student
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. 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.
Harrisburg Palestine Coalition’s mission is to organize for a liberated Palestine across Central Pennsylvania.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, PhD; 617-401-5397 (mobile), atekelioglu@cair.com; Harrisburg Palestine Coalition, hbgpalcoal@proton.me.
