Students Defend Burke Teacher Accused Of Pulling Off Hijab

(Updated 8:45 p.m.) BURKE, VA—A teacher at Lake Braddock Secondary School has been placed on leave after allegedly pulling a student's hijab off Wednesday. Many have since taken to social media to defend the teacher.

The student, whose identity has not been released, reported the 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 student said she "felt so infuriated, upset, and mostly shocked" and that the teacher was someone she "appreciated and valued."

Fairfax County Public Schools said in a statement, "The teacher's action was inappropriate and unacceptable. The school administration has apologized to the student and her family for the incident. FCPS takes this incident seriously and, while a thorough investigation of the incident is conducted, the teacher has been placed on leave."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, called for further action. Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesperson for the organization, told WTOP removing a student’s hijab is “similar to removing somebody’s shirt or pants or any other article of clothing that works to provide modesty for that individual." The organization has reached out to the student’s family and wants to see further disciplinary action.

"We welcome the decision to place the teacher on leave and to apologize to the student and her family, but further disciplinary action needs to be taken based on the results of the investigation into this disturbing incident," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "No student should be bullied or attacked because of his or her faith. Teachers must protect students, not subject them to harassment or intimidation."

Some teachers and students believe it could have been accidental. Teachers who wished to remain anonymous told NBC Washington the accused teacher thought the student was wearing a hood over the hijab and reached to pull it down. Others said the teacher and student were embarrassed.

A few students echoed the belief that the teacher was reaching for a hood, not the hijab. Student James Thaddeus Parks told the news station, "A lot of teachers do that. They, like, pull your hat off or take your hood off."

The teacher has not been publicly identified, but a number of students took to social media to defend "Mr. Saunders" using the hashtag #FreeSaunders.

This incident comes amidst reports of a Nashville teacher being fired after pulling off a student's hijab in class. In the videos posted via the teacher's Snapchat account and sent to WSMV by a concerned viewer, the student can be seen covering her face as her head covering is removed in a classroom. Other students can be seen playing with her hair. The videos were captioned "pretty hair" and "lol all that hair cover up." New Vision Academy Charter School fired the teacher after initially suspending her during the investigation.

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