Parents from Jewish, Hindu and Zoroastrian backgrounds have filed a federal lawsuit against the Palo Alto Unified School District and Palo Alto High School Principal Brent Kline over a mosque field trip tied to the school’s Social Justice Pathway program.
The complaint, filed Aug. 7, alleges that during the visit, female students were encouraged to wear hijabs, all students were given Qurans to take home and the group observed prayers and discussed the meaning of worship. The suit also says students interacted with participants in a Quran-memorization program and that the trip included a speaker described by the plaintiffs as controversial.
The parents argue the field trip crossed the line from education into religious promotion and violated the constitutional separation of church and state. Their lawyer said public schools cannot teach a specific religion as a symbol of social justice.
The mosque rejected that claim, saying the complaint distorts a legitimate educational experience about Islam. A student who serves as a school media editor also said there was no coercion or indoctrination. An official with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression warned that if students were pressured to wear religious clothing, that could raise First Amendment concerns.
