Muslim Student Files Suit Against Nevada District

RENO —  Lawyers for a 17-year-old Muslim girl who dropped out of school because she said she was bullied by other students sued the Washoe County School District on Tuesday for not taking steps to stop such harassment.

The civil rights lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court by Allen Lichtenstein, ACLU of Nevada general counsel, and Reno lawyer Kenneth McKenna on behalf of Jana Elhifny, who moved with her family from Egypt last year.

After enrolling in North Valley High School, Elhifny said she was insulted and spat on and even received death threats for wearing a hijab, a religious head scarf. She stopped attending classes in December.

Laura Mijanovich of the ACLU said the failure of the school and the district “to stop the harassment and to provide Jana with a safe educational environment was an abdication of their legal responsibility.”

John Albrecht, general counsel for the school district, denied the allegation that the district failed to develop and carry out antiharassment policies, and said he would defend the district and its employees against the suit.

“The school district welcomes students of all faiths and nationalities into the schools,” Albrecht said, adding that the district had three specific policies that prohibited harassment.

Elhifny also has filed a discrimination case with the Office for Civil Rights. The office resolves discrimination complaints for the U.S. Department of Education.

Muslim girls who choose to wear hijabs were more of a target for harassment, said Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington. He said there had been many misconceptions about Muslims since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which were carried out by Middle Easterners.