Philadelphia Muslim Teacher Sues School District Over Islamophobia, Discrimination

IQNA – A Philadelphia public school teacher has filed a federal lawsuit against the School District of Philadelphia, alleging discrimination based on her Muslim faith and retaliation for expressing pro-Palestinian views.

Keziah Ridgeway, a Black Muslim educator formerly at Northeast High School, claims she faced years of harassment over her religion and political expression, Philly Voice reported on Thursday. 

According to the lawsuit, filed Tuesday, Ridgeway was placed on administrative leave and barred from teaching for eight months following what she describes as a smear campaign by pro-Israel teachers and community members.

Ridgeway alleges that this group sent thousands of emails to school officials, City Council members, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, labeling her antisemitic and calling for her dismissal. The complaint asserts these efforts prompted a school district investigation, leading to her unpaid suspension and eventual reassignment.

Ridgeway had taught African American history and social studies for several years without prior disciplinary issues and had earned multiple teaching awards, the suit notes.

Tensions allegedly rose in 2023 when she supported a student-led fundraiser featuring "Free Palestine" and "Sudan in Our Hearts" buttons—an alternative agreed upon after students were barred from wearing keffiyehs. That same year, Ridgeway planned to lead a district-approved professional development session on teaching the genocide in Palestine, which was later canceled.

The lawsuit names a group called the School District of Philadelphia Jewish Family Association as a central figure in the controversy. The group, reportedly composed of school staff and community members, allegedly shared confidential student information and tracked Ridgeway’s social media, where she criticized Israeli crimes in Gaza.

Controversy intensified after Ridgeway selected a student’s project on Palestine for a Black History Month presentation—an assignment comparing global protest art with that of enslaved Black Americans. Colleagues reportedly urged her to focus instead on figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Harriet Tubman.

The complaint further alleges that Ridgeway received death threats after being doxxed online and that past reports of Islamophobic and racist incidents at the school went unaddressed.

She is seeking damages for emotional distress and claims violations of her constitutional and whistleblower rights.

Source: Agencies