A metro Atlanta woman says her children are being bullied at school because of their religion.
The mother, who wants to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said that her 15-year-old daughter is a freshman at Stockbridge High School. The mother said that on two different occasions, students have pulled off her daughter's hijab.
During the first week of school, a student snatched the headscarf off. The mother said her daughter told her there had been a bet where a student said they would pay another student if they did it.
On a school bus last week, students sitting on the bus seat behind her daughter pulled off her headscarf. That led to a fight.
The school's principal told 11Alive News they have dealt with incidents on a disciplinary level. They've referred all other inquiries to the school's communications office.
Henry County Schools sent us the following statement:
"We are unable to discuss specific cases regarding students and their disciplinary matters. However, it is concerning to administrators and staff members anytime we have students that are found to be in violation of our student code of conduct. Violations tend to disrupt the learning environment and take away from needed instructional time. If a particular act or violation becomes repetitive, school leaders will evaluate the situation and work to ensure that the matter is addressed in such a manner to help prevent it from happening again. Safety and security are our top priorities for all individuals in our school system."
The mother's 9-year-old daughter has dealt with hatred and bullying to the point that she does not want to wear a headscarf any more out of fear and concern.
"Sad. Very sad. My heart don't feel no hatred. But my mind is blind to it. The fact that there is so much hatred out there and no one's going to address it to make things better," the mother said when asked about how she feels about the situation. "How could anything matter when there's hatred?"
Both of her daughters say they now want to be home schooled.
The Muslim mother now wants Henry County Schools to take proactive steps to educate their students about cultural differences.
