Muslim activists raise concerns about potential anti-Palestinian bias in MCPS schools

Two incidents raise concerns about district's handling of incidents, group says

April 2, 2026 11:56 a.m.

MCPS and Board of Education headquarters building. — MCPS and Board of Education headquarters in Rockville. Credit: Elia Griffin

A Maryland Muslim civil rights and activist group is raising concerns after two incidents in March that the group said display anti-Palestinian bias in Montgomery County public schools, according to recent statements from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

“This is about more than one incident. It is about whether Muslim and Palestinian students can walk into their classrooms without fear of being targeted or stereotyped,” CAIR’s Maryland director Zainab Chaudry said in a Thursday morning statement. “MCPS has the opportunity to act decisively to demonstrate that they are committed to the well-being of all their students.”

The Thursday statement concerned a March 3 incident at John T. Baker Middle School in Damascus in which a teacher allegedly directed “inflammatory, offensive and deeply inappropriate remarks” at a 14-year-old Palestinian Muslim student during a “routine classroom interaction.” The teacher allegedly asked whether the student was going to “blow [her] up,” which CAIR said invoked “harmful stereotypes tied to global violence and terrorism.”

CAIR’s concerns, which were raised through a letter Tuesday to the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Department of Compliance and Investigations, follow an March 23 incident that also concerned the group. In that incident, a family’s presentation about Palestinian identity at a culture night at Olney Elementary School prompted a community letter from the school administration saying “political messages” were included that hurt members of the Jewish community.

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In response, CAIR sent a letter March 24 to the school seeking details on “what specific language and aspects of the display were considered controversial or hurtful in this setting,” Chaudry told Bethesda Today on March 26.

“We want the opportunity to make sure that just because facts may be uncomfortable to some, that the school system is not erasing the lived experiences and the histories of students to appease others,” Chaudry said at that time. “If families are not being informed of what’s acceptable versus not acceptable, then they cannot be held to account for content that is directly relevant to their history.”

As of Tuesday, CAIR had not received a response from the school concerning the Olney incident, Chaudry said.

Spokespeople for MCPS didn’t immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment about both incidents but provided Bethesda Today with the community letter from Olney Elementary School on March 26. MCPS is closed for spring break until April 7.

John T. Baker Middle incident

According to Tuesday’s CAIR letter to MCPS, the organization “received a complaint from the family that the teacher asked the student if he is going to ‘blow [her] up,’ referencing bombing and current global events.”

CAIR said in the letter that during a March 31 meeting with MCPS staff, the Baker Middle School principal and the student’s family, school officials said a previously conducted investigation into the incident would be reopened.

“While we understand that an internal investigation is now once again underway, the seriousness of these allegations warrants immediate interim measures to protect this child and other students and preserve the integrity of the investigative process,” CAIR said in the letter.

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CAIR requested the school district remove the teacher from the classroom, ensure a thorough and prompt investigation and provide written documentation of interim action being taken while the investigation continues.

“This request is not punitive in nature. Rather, it reflects a necessary and standard precaution in cases involving credible allegations of discriminatory conduct by an educator,” the letter said. “[This student] and all students must be able to attend school free from fear, bias, and humiliation, and families must have confidence that their concerns are treated with the utmost seriousness.”

Olney Elementary School incident

A March 23 letter to the Olney school community, listed as being sent from Olney Elementary School, said concerns were raised after a “recent PTA-hosted event, a culture night” and “conversations about this event have extended beyond our immediate school community.” The letter did not specify who raised concerns about the culture night event.

CAIR shared a social media post with Bethesda Today that purportedly show the family’s presentation. Bethesda Today found several other similar social media posts, which include photos with a bracelet and stickers that read “Free Palestine” and an image of a map depicting the territories of Israel and Palestine over the years. Several of the posts called the items “antisemitic propaganda” and “indoctrination.”

The March 23 school letter said “cultural events, such as international nights and similar events, are intended to be a celebration of peoples’ contributions to culture and the rich fabric of our diverse community” and that during the event “political messages were present that were hurtful to many in the Jewish community.”

The school letter also noted the elementary school and MCPS remain “firmly committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and respectful environment.”

“We are guided by a clear set of values. Every student deserves to feel a sense of belonging and dignity,” the school letter said. “Learning environments should be safe, supportive and engaging. Concerns are addressed through respectful, student centered processes.”

Chaudry described the letter as “very fake” and noted it didn’t include what the school found objectionable.

“The letter from Olney Elementary School did not specify exactly what it was that was considered harmful to the Jewish families,” Chaudry said. “So in CAIR’s letter, what we are seeking is clarity into what exactly were the elements of the display that the school found objectionable.”

In its March 24 letter, CAIR said it was concerned that the framing of the school letter, “particularly the characterization of elements of the Palestinian cultural display as ‘hurtful’ or inappropriate — excludes, marginalizes, and may effectively silence Palestinian Christian and Muslim students and families in MCPS.”

The school “specified in this letter that they had the three core values that they were outlining, and so we wanted to underscore and convey the fact that these three core values must also encompass the rights, dignity, humanity of Palestinian Christian and Muslim children within the school system,” Chaudry said.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine