Michigan school counselor made discriminatory remark against Muslim student, federal investigation concludes
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — An investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights concluded that an Ann Arbor school counselor made a discriminatory remark against a Muslim student last year.
The federal investigation comes after the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint against Ann Arbor Public Schools in December 2023. The complaint alleged that on Nov. 14, 2023, an eighth-grade student at Tappan Middle School was waiting to speak to his guidance counselor when he asked the sixth-grade counselor if he could get a drink of water, to which the counselor told the student "I don't negotiate with terrorists."
The civil rights office confirmed that the counselor made the "terrorists" remark and the district entered a resolution agreement "to remedy compliance concerns OCR identified with the district's fulfillment of its obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964," according to a news release.
In a letter to the district on Tuesday, the office said the investigation found that the district failed to investigate whether a hostile environment resulted from the incident after the student reported feeling unsafe and unwelcome at the school.
"The evidence the District has produced to date does not reflect that it took steps reasonably calculated to redress any hostile environment for the Student and for other affected students or staff," read a letter. "The District documentation does not reflect that the District notified the Student or his family of the outcome of the District's evaluation of the incident or that the District offered the Student supports – other than an invitation to transfer schools – that were reasonably calculated to respond to notice the District received from [redacted content] where the Student felt unwelcome"
Under the resolution agreement, the district agreed to provide a written notice to the student on whether there was a hostile environment based on the student's Muslim ancestry. The district also agreed to conduct a climate assessment of staff, students and parents and guardians with respect to race, color and national origin, including shared Muslim/Arab ancestry, analyze the results of the assessment and draft a plan to address any concerns.
Additionally, Ann Arbor schools will provide training for students, staff, school board members, and parents on Title VI's ban on discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
"Through today's resolution, Ann Arbor Public Schools takes the steps necessary to safeguard the rights of each and every student, regardless of race, color or national origin, to attend school free from discriminatory harassment," Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for Civil Rights, said in a statement "OCR looks forward to working with the district to ensure full access to a harassment-free education for every student going forward."