The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Edina Public Schools over alleged discrimination, months after two Muslim students were suspended for using a pro-Palestinian slogan while protesting the Israeli war in Gaza.
The two students — Somali American girls who participated in a student walkout in support of Palestinians in October — each received a three-day suspension for chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Attorney Bruce Nestor announced Nov. 27 that he had filed a civil rights complaint against the school district on behalf of the suspended students. Speaking alongside members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Nestor said the complaint was filed to defend students wanting to engage in speech in support of Palestinians, adding that “we will not stand for a double standard that punishes Muslim students.”