14 | MARCH 30 • 2023
continued from page 13
“This is the time to act since the high school
administrators have shown poor leadership
and judgment before this incident, during
the incident, and after the fallout of the
incident.”
The petition continues: “Schultz, the
Director of DEI, and Stroughter failed to
conduct an effective vetting of the speak-
er, who proceeded to speak about inflamma-
tory Middle East politics for four different
sessions with students, even after being noti-
fied and asked to shut down the speaker as
the students were panic-stricken and fearful
for their safety.”
“The school administrators have acted
with a cruel disregard for our community.
They have ignited a political firestorm and
placed a burden on our teenage children and
families to deal with. They have demonstrat-
ed gross negligence and failure to protect the
safety and security of our students by being
ignorant and callous about the implications
to our teenagers in an unsupervised and
unregulated environment.”
PUBLIC COMMENT
At the meeting, a mix of people filled the
main and overflow rooms, and there was
not a single empty spot in the parking lot.
Muslim and Arabic students and families
outnumbered Jewish ones. Some students
wore keffiyehs or green, black and white
scarves bearing the word “Palestine” around
their necks, and one student wore a sweat-
shirt with the entire map of Israel covered in
a checkered keffiyeh. A few Jewish students
sat with their parents, but no one wore any
clothing in blue or white or bearing the
insignia of the Israel Defense Forces.
As the public comment section began at
8:30 p.m., Board of Education Vice President
Siva Kumar read a statement from the
Muslim Unity Center (MUC). The message
pointed out the mosque’s pride in years of
educational collaborative efforts with the
school district but expressed deep concern
when it “became aware of multiple occur-
rences that do not align with the district’s
commitment to a safe environment that fos-
ters inclusion.”
The statement said that after the district
released two emails alleging Arraf’s presen-
tation had some comments that were antise-
mitic in nature, the MUC consulted with
Arraf to hear her side of the story. She truth-
fully shared her views and experiences on
behalf of working for Palestinians and said
her remarks were pertinent to addressing the
topic of persecution and discrimination.
The statement continued: “Students have
expressed they feel silenced, ignored and dis-
missed by the administration because they
hold views on a topic that may run counter
to the narrative, as is portrayed by pro-Israeli
or anti-Palestinian constituencies. We deem
attempts to silence or ignore students from
any side of a debate, run counter to the val-
“I’D LIKE TO ASK MY
MUSLIM BRETHREN
HERE WHAT THEIR
RESPONSE WOULD
HAVE BEEN HAD
THE SPEAKER
BEEN A PRO-
ISRAEL ACTIVIST.
WE ALL HAVE
SENSITIVITIES AND
NEED TO CONSIDER
THE OTHER SIDE.
AND NOW THIS
HAS BECOME A
TINDERBOX AND IS
SCARY TO ME.”
— JAY KOZLOWSKI, PARENT
Rabbi Asher Lopatin of the Detroit
JCRC/AJC speaks at the meeting.
continued on page 16
OUR COMMUNITY