PHOENIX – A Phoenix charter school has denied claims by the family of a Somali boy that his teacher harassed him because he is a Muslim.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona submitted a complaint to the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education on Friday. It says a teacher at the Academy of Excellence choked the sixth-grade boy, called him a terrorist in class and verbally threatened him.
The ACLU complaint goes on to say that the charter school eventually forced the boy's mother to withdraw him and his younger sister after she raised concerns about the situation.
Academy of Excellence attorney Lonnie Williams said Tuesday that the ACLU's complaint is "devoid of evidence" and contains untrue and unsubstantiated allegations. A police report says officers found the allegations to be "unfounded."