(ATLANTA, GA, 2/26/2025) Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta (Advancing Justice-Atlanta) and the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-GA), the local chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group (CAIR), today announced at a press conference at the Fulton Schools headquarters, the filing of a federal Title VI Civil Rights Complaint against the Fulton County School District (FCSD) with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The complaint alleges that Fulton County School District violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to address persistent racist, anti-Palestinian, xenophobic, and Islamophobic harassment and doxing of students and their allies since October 2023, resulting in systemic failures to protect Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students from pervasive discrimination.
Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students expressing their solidarity in support of Palestine have been subject to disturbing discrimination and harassment by their peers, parents of fellow students, and school administrators across Fulton County School District.
READ TITLE VI COMPLAINT AGAINST FULTON COUNTY SCHOOLS
Samantha Hamilton, Staff Attorney on Advancing Justice-Atlanta’s Impact Litigation team said, “Children deserve to be protected by the adults who are tasked with their education and care. Fulton County Schools has failed in its mission to do so for our clients, some of whom are as young as 10 years old. If a young Palestinian girl wants to wear a shirt representing her heritage and/or ties to her national origin or ancestry, she should be allowed to do so without being in fear of the people around her. We hope that with the filing of this complaint, Fulton County Schools will do the right thing: protect these children from discrimination and prevent inflicting any further harm.”
Aaron Butler, Managing Attorney at CAIR-Georgia adds, “Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students in Fulton County schools have endured persistent harassment—being labeled ‘terrorists,’ receiving violent threats, and seeing their cultural symbols mischaracterized as ‘supporting terrorism.’ Our complaint documents how the district has failed these students by ignoring harassment reports, erasing Palestine from curricula, and implementing discriminatory policies. We’re urging the Department of Education to investigate these Title VI violations and ensure all students can learn in an environment where their identities are respected and protected, regardless of national origin, race, or religion.”
Advancing Justice-Atlanta and CAIR-Georgia demand FCSD cease its pattern and practice of enabling discrimination of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students as well as their allies. This includes ending the practice of ignoring harmful harassment perpetrated against them by their peers and families, teachers, and FCSD administrators.
CAIR-Georgia is the local Chapter of CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, promote justice, empower American Muslims, and enhance the understanding of Islam.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), and other marginalized communities in Georgia and the Southeast.
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CONTACT:
Azka Mahmood, CAIR-Georgia Executive Director, [email protected], Nazia Khanzada, Communications Manager CAIR-Georgia, [email protected], Aaron Butler, CAIR-Georgia Managing Attorney, [email protected], Rachael Ramchand, [email protected]