Latest news with #Plymouth-CantonCommunitySchools
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
8th grader who sat for Pledge of Allegiance told she should ‘go back to your country' by teacher
An 8th grader who refused to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance says she was told she should 'go back to your country' by a teacher. Danielle Khalaf, 14, a student at East Middle School in Plymouth, Michigan, said that she did not want to stand on January 10 because of 'what's happening in Palestine.' 'After the Pledge was over the teacher addressed the class and said that anyone that was sitting down was being very disrespectful to soldiers, to America,' Khalaf told 7 News Detroit. The teenager said that she went to speak to her teacher after class to explain her reasons but claims she was told: 'Since you live in this country and enjoy its freedom, if you don't like it, you should go back to [your] country.' 'I was sobbing, and I ran out of the room crying,' Khalaf said in an interview. The Independent has contacted Plymouth-Canton Community Schools for comment. Khalaf and her father, Jacob Khalaf, joined a press conference given by the Arab American Civil Rights League about the incident Thursday. 'As a father, it was heartbreaking to see my daughter come home in tears because of what she had to deal with in school,' her father said. 'Danielle was exercising her constitutional right when she chose to remain seated during the Pledge of Allegiance. Instead of respecting her decision, the teacher humiliated her in front of her classmates and peers. 'And made a deeply offensive comment, essentially telling my daughter that she does not belong to this country. My daughter, an American citizen, being told she does not belong to this country.' The organization said it was demanding action after the 8th grader was 'publicly humiliated in class for exercising her constitutional right to remain seated' during the Pledge. 'What happened to Danielle is a failure of the system to protect our children. Educators should uplift, not humiliate students,' said Nabih Ayd, the organization's founder. In a statement to 7 News, the school said it had taken 'appropriate action' but added it could not share specific details about the teacher. 'We want to be clear that discrimination in any form is not tolerated by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools and is taken very seriously,' the statement said. 'The district became aware of this incident after it occurred. As with all complaints, an investigation was conducted, and appropriate action was taken in alignment with district policies and procedures. Because this is a personnel matter, we are unable to share specific details regarding the employee involved.' It added that 'restorative practices' between Khalaf and the teacher had been facilitated. Khalaf's father has called for the teacher to be fired.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
8th grader who sat for Pledge of Allegiance told she should ‘go back to your country' by teacher
An 8th grader who refused to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance says she was told she should 'go back to your country' by a teacher. Danielle Khalaf, 14, a student at East Middle School in Plymouth, Michigan, said that she did not want to stand on January 10 because of 'what's happening in Palestine.' 'After the Pledge was over the teacher addressed the class and said that anyone that was sitting down was being very disrespectful to soldiers, to America,' Khalaf told 7 News Detroit. The teenager said that she went to speak to her teacher after class to explain her reasons but claims she was told: 'Since you live in this country and enjoy its freedom, if you don't like it, you should go back to [your] country.' 'I was sobbing, and I ran out of the room crying,' Khalaf said in an interview. The Independent has contacted Plymouth-Canton Community Schools for comment. Khalaf and her father, Jacob Khalaf, joined a press conference given by the Arab American Civil Rights League about the incident Thursday. 'As a father, it was heartbreaking to see my daughter come home in tears because of what she had to deal with in school,' her father said. 'Danielle was exercising her constitutional right when she chose to remain seated during the Pledge of Allegiance. Instead of respecting her decision, the teacher humiliated her in front of her classmates and peers. 'And made a deeply offensive comment, essentially telling my daughter that she does not belong to this country. My daughter, an American citizen, being told she does not belong to this country.' The organization said it was demanding action after the 8th grader was 'publicly humiliated in class for exercising her constitutional right to remain seated' during the Pledge. 'What happened to Danielle is a failure of the system to protect our children. Educators should uplift, not humiliate students,' said Nabih Ayd, the organization's founder. In a statement to 7 News, the school said it had taken 'appropriate action' but added it could not share specific details about the teacher. 'We want to be clear that discrimination in any form is not tolerated by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools and is taken very seriously,' the statement said. 'The district became aware of this incident after it occurred. As with all complaints, an investigation was conducted, and appropriate action was taken in alignment with district policies and procedures. Because this is a personnel matter, we are unable to share specific details regarding the employee involved.' It added that 'restorative practices' between Khalaf and the teacher had been facilitated. Khalaf's father has called for the teacher to be fired.
The Independent
02-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
8th grader who sat for Pledge of Allegiance told she should ‘go back to your country' by teacher
An 8th grader who refused to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance says she was told she should 'go back to your country' by a teacher. Danielle Khalaf, 14, a student at East Middle School in Plymouth, Michigan, said that she did not want to stand on January 10 because of 'what's happening in Palestine.' 'After the Pledge was over the teacher addressed the class and said that anyone that was sitting down was being very disrespectful to soldiers, to America,' Khalaf told 7 News Detroit. The teenager said that she went to speak to her teacher after class to explain her reasons but claims she was told: 'Since you live in this country and enjoy its freedom, if you don't like it, you should go back to [your] country.' 'I was sobbing, and I ran out of the room crying,' Khalaf said in an interview. The Independent has contacted Plymouth-Canton Community Schools for comment. Khalaf and her father, Jacob Khalaf, joined a press conference given by the Arab American Civil Rights League about the incident Thursday. 'As a father, it was heartbreaking to see my daughter come home in tears because of what she had to deal with in school,' her father said. 'Danielle was exercising her constitutional right when she chose to remain seated during the Pledge of Allegiance. Instead of respecting her decision, the teacher humiliated her in front of her classmates and peers. 'And made a deeply offensive comment, essentially telling my daughter that she does not belong to this country. My daughter, an American citizen, being told she does not belong to this country.' The organization said it was demanding action after the 8th grader was 'publicly humiliated in class for exercising her constitutional right to remain seated' during the Pledge. 'What happened to Danielle is a failure of the system to protect our children. Educators should uplift, not humiliate students,' said Nabih Ayd, the organization's founder. In a statement to 7 News, the school said it had taken 'appropriate action' but added it could not share specific details about the teacher. 'We want to be clear that discrimination in any form is not tolerated by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools and is taken very seriously,' the statement said. 'The district became aware of this incident after it occurred. As with all complaints, an investigation was conducted, and appropriate action was taken in alignment with district policies and procedures. Because this is a personnel matter, we are unable to share specific details regarding the employee involved.' It added that 'restorative practices' between Khalaf and the teacher had been facilitated. Khalaf's father has called for the teacher to be fired.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arab-American girl: Teacher said to 'go back to her own country' for sitting out Pledge of Allegiance
The Brief An Arab-American girl is accusing her teacher of telling her she should go back to her own country recently when she silently protested in class. Danielle Khalaf said that she sat during the pledge of allegiance to protest the conflict in Gaza with Israel. Plymouth-Canton Community Schools said in a statement, "Student safety is a top priority and discrimination isn't tolerated." DEARBORN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Metro Detroit middle school student says she's the target of racism after choosing not to stand for the pledge of allegiance. The teenager claims the teacher singled her out and told her to "go back to her country." Now, a local Arab-American organization is calling out the Plymouth Canton School district. The backstory "She called me out in front of the entire class saying what I did was disrespectful," said Danielle Khalaf. With her dad and local activists by her side, Khalaf was reserved when she recalled the moment she says her own teacher broke her spirit during class at East Middle School in Plymouth. "She told me that since I live in this country and enjoy these freedoms, if I don't like it, I should go back to my country," she said. "It crushed me. It broke me." Khalaf — an Arab-American who is from Michigan — says on January 10, she exercised her right to sit during the Pledge of Allegiance to protest the conflict in Gaza. The eighth grader's family has filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. "This isn't just about my daughter. This is about every child that has ever felt marginalized, disrespected, or unheard in their own school," said her father, Jacob Khalaf. "She decided to peacefully, quietly, to sit down and not participate in the pledge of allegiance," said Nabih Ayad, ACRL founder. "Why? Well, there was a genocide happening in her hometown across the land, and she felt our government was being complicit in what's going on overseas." What they're saying In a statement, a Plymouth-Canton Community Schools spokesperson said student safety is a top priority and discrimination isn't tolerated. It goes on to say, "The district became aware of this incident after it occurred. As with all complaints, an investigation was conducted, and appropriate action was taken in alignment with district policies and procedures." But because this is a personnel matter, the district can't share details about the teacher. The Arab-American Civil Rights League says despite Plymouth-Canton being known for it's diversity, what it has done so far isn't enough. "Let me be clear, no student should feel unsafe or disrespected in their working environment. Schools should be places of inclusion, acceptance, and open dialogue," said Mariam Charara, ACRL executive director. Plymouth-Canton Community Schools says it has worked on conflict resolution with the teacher and other students, but Danielle Khalaf says she hasn't received any counseling. The Source Information for this story was gathered from an interview with Danielle Khalaf, her father, members of the Arab-American Civil Rights League and a statement from Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.
CBS News
27-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Michigan Arab American student claims teacher made offensive remarks for sitting during Pledge of Allegiance
An eighth-grade student who remained seated during the Pledge of Allegiance at her Plymouth, Michigan, school says she was subjected to humiliation and offensive remarks from her teacher. The student and the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) are demanding action from Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. The alleged incident happened on Jan. 10 at East Middle School. Danielle Khalaf, an Arab American student, says her teacher told her she was being disrespectful by not standing for the pledge. Danielle, a U.S. citizen and member of the National Honor Society, said she tried to speak to her teacher after class to explain her actions, but the teacher was dismissive and allegedly told her, "Since you live in this country and enjoy its freedom, if you don't like it, you should go back to [your] country." In a press conference Thursday, the ACRL said the teacher violated Danielle's First Amendment right. They claim the school district has not contacted Danielle or offered resources to help her cope and that the family has not received an apology. "It crushed me. It broke me," Danielle said. "I felt so unwelcome. I felt uncomfortable. "I want her to take some sort of accountability. I want the school to take accountability. Because I know that this could happen to so many other students, so many other kids with these different background, different races. She could easily treat them like she treated me, and I don't want that to happen. No one deserves to the way I had to feel. No one deserves to feel unwelcome in school. It's supposed to be a safe place." Danielle's family has filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and is calling for accountability, saying the school district's response is inadequate. The family is demanding an investigation, disciplinary action against the teacher, a public apology and mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion training. Plymouth-Canton Community Schools says it conducted an investigation and appropriate actions were taken, but declined to elaborate further. The district released the following statement: The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priority. We want to be clear that discrimination in any form is not tolerated by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools and is taken very seriously. P-CCS remains committed to fostering an environment where all students, staff, and community members feel safe, respected, and valued. The district became aware of this incident after it occurred. As with all complaints, an investigation was conducted, and appropriate action was taken in alignment with district policies and procedures. Because this is a personnel matter, we are unable to share specific details regarding the employee involved. To support those affected, the district facilitated restorative practices between the teacher and students to address any harm and foster understanding.
