BALTIMORE, MD – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Maryland has teamed up with the ACLU of Maryland and other organizations to press the Howard County Human Rights Commission for updates on an ongoing investigation. This probe concerns allegations of censorship and discrimination within the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), particularly against Arab and Muslim students at River Hill High School.
The coalition’s engagement follows reports over the last seven months of administrative actions at River Hill High, including the forced removal of social media posts about Palestine and bans on using terms like “Palestine,” “Gaza,” or “siege” during peaceful school demonstrations. “The commission has a duty to address these growing concerns within the community,” stated CAIR’s Maryland Director, Zainab Chaudry.
CAIR Maryland’s Outreach Coordinator, Kim Syuardi, expressed concerns about the lack of action, emphasizing the importance of amplifying the voices of students who have experienced censorship. On June 4, the ACLU of Maryland highlighted several incidents in a press release and demanded that HCPSS protect the First Amendment rights of these students and address the harms they have faced.
Further intensifying the advocacy, on June 11, CAIR and its partners signed a letter initiated by Howard County for a Free Palestine, urging the Human Rights Commission to update the public on the status of its investigation. This initiative coincides with a recent CAIR report titled ‘Hostile,’ which discusses the broader context of free speech violations and discrimination against students advocating for Palestinian rights in educational settings nationwide.