School guard on leave for handcuffing Muslim teen, removing hijab
A California high school guard has been put on leave after he was accused of using excessive force against a Muslim student, removing her hijab after handcuffing her.
According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Jason Rieck, a guard for Apple Valley High School “focused completely” on a Muslim student when he arrived to deal with an altercation between two students. The 15-year-old Muslim female had been harassed by a male student who called her a terrorist before the altercation followed.
Rieck called for backup, and three officers arrived to take the female student away to the Apple Valley Police Department, where she was questioned and later released. She claimed that the school resource officer had removed her hijab after he handcuffed her.
— Ray Rice is now the assistant football coach at his old high school —Â
“I’m scared for my safety at Apple Valley High School,” the girl, a sophomore at the school, said on Monday. “I feel very threatened.”
Apple Valley Police Capt. Nick Francis said that the officer involved had not received any complaints before and stated that no racial language was used in the incident.
“We are continuing to try to speak with other students in the area, or any witnesses,” Francis said.
The student was initially suspended after the incident, but that was later lifted, and she returned to school on Monday.
