Pennsylvania Teacher Resigns After Allegedly Calling Muslim Student a "Terrorist"
Seventh Grader Reportedly Told "I Do Not Negotiate With Terrorists" After Asking to Change Seats, CAIR Claims
A middle school teacher in Pennsylvania has resigned following allegations that she referred to a Muslim seventh-grade student as a “terrorist” during a classroom exchange. The Central Dauphin School District confirmed the teacher's resignation in a statement on Tuesday.
The incident, which took place on January 16 at Central Dauphin Middle School in Harrisburg, occurred when the Palestinian Lebanese American student requested to change seats. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the teacher responded by saying, “I do not negotiate with terrorists.”
The student's father, Adam Rahman, shared that his son is "OK" but expressed that the incident would remain “in his head” as he now wonders if future teachers may make similar remarks. Rahman described the emotional toll on his son, who felt isolated and helpless. “These teachers are supposed to be the mentors, the people who you look up to, and if that fails, there’s nothing,” Rahman said at a Monday news conference.
The Central Dauphin School District stated that it had been made aware of the allegations, confirming that the teacher made the derogatory comment during an after-school program. Although the teacher's identity has not been publicly disclosed, the district condemned any such behavior, emphasizing that incidents like this go against its core values.
“The school district’s mission is to provide every student with a strong academic foundation while nurturing and celebrating the diverse cultures and ethnicities of our students and staff,” the district's statement read.
Rahman, who said this incident was a “tipping point” for his family, called for improved education on geopolitics within the district to raise awareness about different cultures and backgrounds, especially regarding the Middle East. He also requested more focus on cultural sensitivity and anti-bias training for educators.
At the Monday press conference, community leaders echoed these calls, demanding that the district implement training programs focused on cultural sensitivity and the accurate representation of Middle Eastern issues.
The Harrisburg Palestine Coalition also commented on the alleged incident, attributing the teacher's actions to “deeply embedded racism” potentially influenced by “misinformation and war propaganda” from mainstream media. The coalition urged the district to better educate its students on Palestinian history and context.
In a joint statement released Tuesday, CAIR's Philadelphia branch, the Harrisburg Palestine Coalition, and the Rahman family expressed support for the teacher's resignation but also called for further action. “We are glad this teacher will no longer be able to pose harm to the Central Dauphin School District community," the statement read. "But she should face consequences for the harm she created to our 7th grader."
The community continues to push for stronger measures to ensure such incidents do not happen again.