Protest held outside North Penn High School after fight video surfaces
LANSDALE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A protest was held outside North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania on Thursday after cell phone video surfaced of students fighting.
One of the students is Muslim, and says her hijab was ripped off her head by two other students.
The incident happened on Tuesday in the school's lunchroom
Leaders of the NAACP's Ambler Branch say they believe the incident is a hate crime.
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The North Penn School District has issued an apology, saying the school could have done a better job supporting the student during the situation.
The school says it will host a forum with students Friday to give them a chance to discuss race, culture and religion.
Read the full statement release from the school below:
"The North Penn School District continues to investigate the altercation involving three students at North Penn High School on Tuesday, May 4th, and is aware of cellphone videos of part of the incident circulating throughout social media. We take seriously the comments, reactions and feelings that are being represented by those on social media and others reaching out to the school district and school.
Since the altercation on Tuesday, NPSD officials have been in multiple conversations with the families involved, a representative from the NAACP Cheltenham Branch, North Penn Mosque and law enforcement. It is important that we work together during this difficult time and share with the community our steps to resolve the difficult issues at hand. We also must respect the privacy rights of the students involved. The District Administration has also apprised the Board of School Directors that an incident occurred at NPHS. Because the School Board may be required to act as an impartial hearing body in light of the potential for student disciplinary proceedings, the Board and its members are legally unable to comment on this matter out of concern for the due process rights of all students who may have been involved.
Although our investigation is not yet complete, it is apparent we could have done a better job in helping the student retrieve her hijab and support her during the situation. For this, the North Penn School District sincerely apologizes and resolves to move forward in a manner in which this is not repeated. Each year we dedicate many hours to help our staff and students grow in cultural proficiency, but we know we have much more work to do in this extremely important area.
Our first step in healing will be to provide an opportunity on Friday, May 7th, for NPHS students to discuss their thoughts regarding race, culture, religion, and relationships among students in a safe and open manner with school and district administration. Opportunities for tomorrow's discussions will be provided during periods four through seven at the high school. After that, next steps will involve conversations with North Penn families and the broader community. Please know that specifics regarding the recent incident will not be discussed due to privacy laws."
