Bullying Claims Follow Girl Accusing Teacher Of Pulling Off Hijab

BURKE, VA—As the investigation continues into a Lake Braddock Secondary School teacher that reportedly pulled off a student's hijab, cyberbullying has become another concern for the school district.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization, says the girl has faced cyberbullying after the school district placed the teacher on leave pending an investigation.

The student, whose identity has not been released, originally reported the Nov. 16 incident through a series of tweets. She claims the teacher pulled off the hijab, and tried to turn it into a joke, saying, "Oh your hair is so pretty." The girl wrote that she "felt so infuriated, upset, and mostly shocked" and that the teacher was someone she "appreciated and valued."

Since then, students have started a social media campaign defending "Mr. Saunders" using the hashtag #freesaunders. Some of the tweets appeared to simply argue the teacher was trying to remove a hood over the hijab. But others directed criticism at the girl's Twitter account.

One tweet reads: "f**k that dumb Muslim b**ch she had a hoodie on top of her hijab." And according to CAIR, she received a private message a private message on Twitter Sent to the Muslim student stating “F**k is wrong with you?”

CAIR also criticized administrators' response to students' Nov. 17 "sit-in" protest, which garnered a large turnout of students in the hallway. Video footage shows Principal Dave Thomas telling students at one point, "We are going to do everything we can to get this resolved as quickly as possible" and "I hear you and I will advocate for you." The organization claims his statement puts the credibility of the investigation into the teacher at risk.

Following the incident, Lake Braddock Secondary School has urged parents to help prevent cyberbullying attacks. "Bullying and cyberbullying are violations of the FCPS Rights and Responsibilities regulations and the rules of conduct apply to students off school property and outside school hours if the conduct is detrimental to the school or affects school discipline," the school said in a letter to parents.

What are your thoughts on the students' and school's responses to the alleged incident? Let us know in the comments.

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