Kansas principal suspended after report of student being told to remove hijab
The Junction City High School principal has been suspended following an incident that reportedly involved a student being told to take off her hijab, a school district spokesperson said.
The Geary County Schools Board of Education suspended Melissa Sharp with pay after a roughly 50-minute executive session Tuesday night. The suspension stems from the incident that happened in October and was followed by a “peaceful demonstration” by about 30 to 40 students on Oct. 21, according to USD 475 spokesperson Sacha Dent.
Board president Rina Neal ended the meeting with few details about the suspension.
“The board of education has thoroughly reviewed the results of the investigation concerning the incident at Junction City High School,” Neal said. “An acting principal will be appointed at the high school. We will use this as an opportunity to rededicate our efforts to create an inclusive environment for all.”
Sharp, who has been with the district for decades and has been high school principal since 2012, was suspended during the investigation but suspended indefinitely on Tuesday, Dent said. Being suspended with pay during an investigation is common under district policy, she said.
Dent said the student reported that a hall monitor asked her to remove her hijab. Hall monitors are hired positions similar to on-campus security. The student reportedly refused and was taken to the principal’s office, Dent said, adding school dress code allows head coverings for religious and health reasons. A hijab is a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.
“To my knowledge, there was no punishment given to the student for any reason,” Dent said.
Students then held the demonstration, holding signs and chanting, Dent said.
Sharp sent a letter to parents about the incident and demonstration. The letter, which Dent shared with The Eagle, said “no time over the last two days (or ever) was any student asked to remove a hijab from their head.” She also wrote that the student was not forced to write an essay or defend their religion.
“The communication that was asked of the student (and the family) was to help the respective administrator communicate the needs of the student to impacted parties ... The administrator’s goal was for the student not to be questioned by other adults or peers while on campus,” the letter says. “The student, the family and the respective administrator have had wonderful, communicative interactions, and continued to do so up until, and even after the protest today.”
In the letter, Sharp called the situation a teachable moment and said the demonstration has led to conversations that will better the school.
During the meeting, the board also discussed updates to the district’s diversion and inclusion policy for teachers and students. Dent said she didn’t know if the discussion was because of the incident.
The Kansas Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Kansas) said it supports the suspension.
“Islamophobia cannot be tolerated in our schools, and we hope that Junction City High School and its school district will ensure that policies are properly implemented to prevent such incidents from happening in the future,” CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy said in a news release. “All district personnel, especially school administrators, should be offered diversity training on the right to religious accommodations for students and staff and the proper way to enforce the district’s policies.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 2:01 PM.