2 Muslim students at Va. high school had to carry permission slips to … – WJLA

by Jeff Goldberg, ABC7 News

Two Muslim students at Freedom High School in Woodbridge, Va. had to carry permission slips to wear hijabs. (WJLA)

WOODBRIDGE, Va. (WJLA) - Hajah Bah and Fatmata Mansaray are first cousins. Both are Muslim and seniors about to graduate from Freedom High School in Woodbridge - a name they find ironic, Not a lot of freedom not at all.

But their smiles disappear quickly when talking about an incident on Thursday, It was so emotional.

Mansaray and Bah say all year school administrators have required them to carry signed notes from their mothers giving them permission to wear a hijab. Bah says Thursday a staffer asked for her note but Bah didnt have it. She says the staffer then told her to take off the hijab or go home, "I was like, I refuse. Im not taking it off because of my religion.'" Mansaray says she watched the incident with sadness and disbelief, Im sad to say, but I think its about race, honestly.

I apologized to the family, said Mike Mulgrew, the associate superintendent for Prince William County Public Schools. He says staff members should not have required the students to have notes to wear hijabs, I think they had a misinterpretation. We used to give passes to assist students so they could carry out their prayers. Somehow that message got lost. Were gonna fix that message and were gonna move on.

Prince William County Public Schools issued the following statement:

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2 Muslim students at Va. high school had to carry permission slips to ... - WJLA