Edison Assistant Principal Did Not Discriminate Against Muslim Students, Probe Finds

EDISON, NJ — An independent investigation commissioned by the Edison Board of Education found no evidence that an Edison High School assistant principal discriminated against Muslim students when she discouraged them from inviting students from other schools to a 2024 iftar event.

In a letter to Assistant Principal Nicole Himmelstein, Superintendent Edward Aldarelli said investigators found "no evidence" of religious or cultural discrimination by Himmelstein or the Board of Education. The board hired an outside firm, ATI-Advanced Technology Investigations Inc., to conduct the investigation, according to the letter.

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The allegations date to 2024, when members of the high school's Muslim Students Association said Himmelstein barred them from inviting students from nearby Piscataway and North Brunswick high schools to a joint iftar during Ramadan. The club had hosted similar joint events in previous years.

Citing security concerns, Himmelstein told the students they could host the event for Edison students only or not at all, according to the students.

The students then contacted the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR-NJ, saying they feared retaliation. One MSA board member told CAIR-NJ they were afraid Himmelstein would disband the club altogether, Patch previously reported.

In an audio recording released by CAIR-NJ, Himmelstein told the students she had "no problem contacting your university where you got in" if they took the matter further. She also told them they were not "upholding good leadership skills."

CAIR-NJ called on the Edison Board of Education to review the matter.

Aldarelli wrote that investigators interviewed "multiple stakeholders with first-hand knowledge," including the students, staff witnesses and Himmelstein.

According to the letter, Himmelstein told investigators that mentioning the students' universities was meant as "leverage" to get them to follow proper protocols for club events. She said she never intended to contact the universities or hinder the students' post-secondary plans, and that her only intent was to stress that the ceremony "still has rules to abide by," the letter states.

"The investigators found that the decision made by the EHS administration to limit attendance to EHS students was based solely on being able to provide the proper supervision and security for the Iftar event," Aldarelli wrote. "This was a direct result of the MSA's late request to schedule the event."

While the students were upset that they had to curtail their plans, "their feelings do not supersede the administration's inherent responsibility to provide for the safety of the students," Aldarelli wrote.

However, Aldarelli also wrote that Himmelstein should have chosen her words more carefully or taken a different approach with the students. For example, she could have said she would notify the students' parents instead of college counselors. He added that he believed her assertion that she did not intend to act on her comments.

Himmelstein has since created the Speak Up to Build Up program, which gives staff and students concrete strategies for responding to bias, hate and discrimination. The program has expanded to 17 district schools.

In the letter, Aldarelli also said he had witnessed "many positive interactions" between Himmelstein and students and staff.

"As an Edison Township Public Schools graduate, you have served the district for over 15 years, including multiple years as an Assistant Principal. Further, I understand that you take pride in mentoring students and teachers to support their academic achievement and professional growth," Aldarelli wrote.

"I look forward to supporting you and all of the administrative team during my time as Superintendent of Schools. I am confident that together, we can achieve great things."

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