A video was posted on social media earlier this week showing a student wearing a hijab and hiding her face as someone took the headscarf off her head, exposing her hair to the classroom.
As she tries to readjust the religious head covering other students can be seen playing with her hair.
The video was posted on Snapchat along with the caption, “pretty hair.” The video was taken at the New Vision Academy Charter School in Nashville. A second video was also posted with the caption, “lol all that hair cover up.”
— Mother awarded $750,000 settlement for her daughter’s suicide —
A viewer sent the recording to a news station after viewing it on social media after it was reportedly posted from the teacher’s social media account.
The viewer was unhappy with the video because it seemed like the girl was being told her hair was too pretty to be covered.
The video was shown to Kasar Abdulla, who offers Muslim diversity and sensitivity training in schools. She just shook her head as she watched it.
“As a female, and as a mother of three daughters, it should never be okay to rip off an article of clothing off of a female, period,” said Abdulla.
She said she was disappointed that this happened in school but not shocked.
“I highly encourage those faculty members in that particular school to take a crash course on why the hijab is so important to some of my students, and why my students cover up. It’s a symbol of who you are, and it’s a symbol of your faith, and it’s a symbol of your identity. So, it needs to be accepted and recognized,” Abdulla said.
When contacted by the media, the principal, Dr. Tim Malone began investigating immediately.
At first, he said the teacher denied recording the video and said touching the hijab was not done out of disrespect.
The girl’s mother and sister were very upset after they watched the video, saying, “This should never happen.”
“I understand peer-to-peer, student-to-student interactions, but as adults, it is our duty to model for them,” Abdulla said. “It concerns me. I question, where was the teacher in this incident, and what role did the teacher play? I would like to know some answers from the administration.”
The teacher has since been suspended without pay.