A legal battle is brewing at a D.C. high school, and advocates for a student group say they’re taking the fight to federal court.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of D.C. said Wednesday that it’s suing administrators at Jackson-Reed High School on behalf of the Arab student union, accusing them of violating the group’s first amendment rights by blocking their requests to bring pro-Palestinian programming to campus.
“What they’re trying to do is education, which is what school is all about,” Arthur Spitzer, senior counsel at the ACLU, said.
“Frustrated” students are suing the school’s principal and D.C. Public Schools. The lawsuit alleges the high school has treated the student group unfairly by denying requests to show a documentary during lunch that’s critical of Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
The ACLU said the school also removed their Palestinian culture night from the official calendar in January, forcing them to host it at a local restaurant instead. Eventually, the group was allowed to plan a Palestinian culture night for April–Arab heritage month–which is set for Thursday evening.
“There’s a big difference between controversial and disruptive, and I think that’s the distinction the school didn’t see,” Spitzer said.
The ACLU and the group of about 19 students are also accusing the high school of censorship, arguing administrators unfairly forced them to remove a picture on a hand out of a man holding a set of keys (for the “key of Palestine”) and a cartoon symbolizing Palestinian resistance.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
In an email to News4 on Wednesday, a representative for the school district said “DCPS will decline comment on open litigation.”
“We want a court order that says, treat the Arab student union the same way you treat other groups,” Spitzer said.
The students are asking the judge to act quickly so they can host the screening before the end of the school year.
