Maplewood Teacher's Attorney: Teacher Did Not Remove Student's Hijab

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — After an Olympic athlete charged Thursday that a teacher in the the South Orange-Maplewood schools forcibly removed a second-grade girl's hijab in class, the teacher's attorney is fighting back, saying the accusation is untrue and that the teacher is getting threats as a result of the social media accusations.

The controversy arose Thursday when Olympic fencer and Maplewood native Ibtihaj Muhammad posted on Facebook that a second grade teacher in Maplewood had "forcibly" removed a student's hijab the day before. She named the teacher in question.

Stay up-to-date on everything local, subscribe to Patch. (It's free) https://patch.com/subscribe

The South Orange-Maplewood school district released a statement late Thursday saying it was investigating the matter, but that social media was not a reliable source of information. READ MORE: Maplewood Probes Accusation That Teacher Removed Student's Hijab

Muhammad wrote: "Yesterday...a teacher at Seth Boyden Elementary in Maplewood, NJ forcibly removed the hijab of a second grade student. The young student resisted by trying to hold onto her hijab, but the teacher pulled the hijab off, exposing her hair to the class. [The teacher] told the student that her hair was beautiful and she did not have to wear hijab to school anymore."

Muhammad, the author of a book about wearing a hijab, added, "I wrote this book with the intention that moments like this would never happen again. When will it stop?"

Lawyer Responds

Over the weekend, civil rights attorney Samantha Harris, who is representing long-time Maplewood teacher Tamar Herman, released a statement about the charge.

Harris wrote: "This is not a story about a teacher who forcibly removed a student’s hijab. This is a story about social media, misinformation, and what happens when people publicize rumors without any knowledge of or regard for the truth. Ms. Herman did not, as has been alleged, forcibly remove a student’s hijab or tell a student that she should not have to wear a hijab."

Harris added, "In accordance with school policy, Ms. Herman directed a student in her class to pull down the hood on a hooded sweatshirt because it was blocking her eyes – and immediately rescinded that request when she realized that the student was wearing the hood in place of, rather than on top of, her usual hijab."

Threats And Calls For Termination

Harris added that Herman is getting threats.

In fact, on Twitter, the head of a New Jersey organization wrote on Friday, "Our @CAIRNJ office is calling for immediate termination. Racist teachers like this cannot be trusted around our children."

Harris said, "The misinformation shared on social media has caused tremendous harm to Ms. Herman — a teacher who, after more than 30 years of devoting her heart and soul to children of all backgrounds, has now had to ask for police protection due to the threats she is receiving following the dissemination of false information on social media."

Muhammad's Facebook post drew more than 200 comments and was shared
on Facebook more than 700 times by Friday morning. She encouraged people to email the school district.

The family of the student and the family's attorney stood by their account in reports on ABC, saying they would like Herman to apologize.

Asked Muhammad To Take It Down

Harris said that Herman knows Muhammad and reached out to her.

"She and Ms. Muhammad are acquainted, and Ms. Herman has asked her to take down the original, erroneous post and post a clarification in its place," Harris said. "That has not happened yet."

Harris added, "The events of the past few days have been utterly devastating for Ms. Herman. She has received threats ... The reputation she has built over the past 30 years has been irreparably damaged overnight by the misinformation being spread on social media."

Some of those posting on Twitter and Instagram have repeatedly referred to Herman being Jewish. "Tamar Herman, A Jewish teacher in Maplewood, NJ forcefully removed the hijab of a second grade student," wrote one poster. "Herman who is Jewish told the young girl that she didn’t need to wear this."

Harris noted that even Gov. Phil Murphy joined the social media fray. (Murphy himself was the subject of social media claims in 2020. READ MORE: Murphy Addresses 'Bozos' Who Spread Fake News About Daughter).

"Governor Murphy even Tweeted about it, sharing an article that was based entirely on the completely inaccurate, sensationalized story Ms. Muhammad posted on Instagram," Harris said. "The fact that so many people seem to take at face value the idea that a veteran teacher (who has, in fact, taught numerous hijab-wearing students over the years) would forcibly remove a young girl’s hijab is deeply troubling and, I think, is reflective of the 'shoot first, ask questions later' climate that all too frequently dominates social media."

Maplewood, located in North Jersey and bordering Newark and South Orange, is known for being a diverse community with high-achieving students. The school district boasts alums including SZA and Lauryn Hill.

The school district's statement Thursday said, "The district takes matters of discrimination extremely seriously. This evening, we were alerted to social media posts related to the allegations. Social Media is not a reliable forum for due process and the staff member(s) involved are entitled to due process before any action is taken." Read the full statement here.

Watch Maplewood Patch for further developments. https://patch.com/subscribe