Teacher allegedly tells Muslim student 'we don't negotiate with terrorists' after student asks to finish assignment at home. Teacher gets suspended.



Mohammed Zubi — a senior at Ridgefield Memorial High School in northern New Jersey — asked a teacher in his math class what seemed like a simple question last week.

But the teacher's alleged answer cut to the 17-year-old's core.

What happened?

WABC-TV said Zubi simply asked his teacher if he could finish an assignment at home.

"He responded saying, 'We don't negotiate with terrorists,' so I look around in shock, there's people laughing, and there's other people in shock, and I turn around and ask my friend, 'Did he really just say that?' and she said yes," Zubi recalled to WABC.

Image source: WABC-TV video screenshot

Senior Vuk Tomasese seemed to confirm Zubi's account to the station: "The teacher got close to him and said 'we don't negotiate with terrorists,' knowing that Mohammed is Arabic and Muslim."

Another senior, Nichoalas Velez, told WABC the students in the class mostly were in shock.

CNN noted that the instructor in question is an assistant teacher, adding that a few minutes later he approached Zubi, patted him on the back, and said he didn't mean it like that.

"In my head I'm just like, 'What other way could he have meant that?'" Zubi told the cable network.

What did the school district have to say?

Ridgefield Public Schools issued the following statement on its website:

The Ridgefield School District has absolutely no tolerance for any sort of discrimination against any student or staff member. The District strives to create an inclusive environment where students' and staff members' race, religion, national origin, and sexual orientation are embraced. While the District cannot legally comment on personnel or student matters, the public should be aware that the District immediately suspended the staff member while it is conducting a full investigation. Additionally, the District has notified law enforcement for its assistance. The District fully intends to pursue any and all legal remedies against the staff member as any discriminatory conduct has absolutely no place in our District.

Ridgefield Police Chief Thomas Gallagher told CNN the case was "referred back to the original agency" as local law enforcement found no crime associated with the incident.

Anything else?

"I don't feel like going back, I'm really uncomfortable," Zubi told WABC after the incident, having been out of school over the incident for several days. "I don't want to see anyone, and I've been in my room all day -- don't want to see my friends, especially after what that teacher said to me."

But he told CNN he returned to school Monday and that he wants "a public apology to me and my family."

Zubi is captain of the soccer team and last year was named one of the top goalkeepers in northern New Jersey — second-team all-league in Division 4 — with 93 saves, NorthJersey.com reported.

His mother worked at the Ridgefield Memorial High School, WABC noted, adding that his older brothers graduated from there. And one of them — Anas Zubi — told the station the teacher's remark was painful: "To see my little brother, a minority, 17 years old, to hear a comment like that, you know, it broke my heart."

Christian teacher sues school district after being suspended, barred from property for refusing to 'lie' to students about their biological sex



A Christian physical education teacher is fighting back after his Virginia school district suspended him for voicing opposition to newly implemented transgender-affirming policies that he said violated his religious beliefs.

Tanner Cross, who teaches at Leesburg Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave by Loudon County Public Schools last week after he declared in a speech before the school board that he would not "defile" God and "lie" to his students by affirming that "a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa.

During the speech, Cross calmly and respectfully explained that it would be a violation of his religious beliefs for him to abide by the new reforms — which require staff to use a student's preferred gender pronouns and allows transgender students to participate in activities consistent with their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

"It's lying to a child, it's abuse to a child, and it's sinning against our God," he said.

Shortly after he delivered the speech, Cross was informed by the district that he had been placed on administrative leave "pending an investigation of allegations that [he] engaged in conduct that had a disruptive impact on the operations of Leesburg Elementary School."

As a part of the suspension, Cross was restricted from accessing the buildings and grounds of Loudon County Public Schools property and barred from attending any district-sponsored activities or events.

On Tuesday, Cross filed a lawsuit against the district in response to their actions, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, the law firm representing him in the case.

ADF reported that it sent a letter to the district on Friday "explaining that placing Tanner on leave and barring him from campus because of his constitutionally protected speech constituted illegal retaliation." The firm requested that Tanner be reinstated and warned the district that future retaliation would elicit legal action.

But in response, the district said it stood by its decision to suspend Tanner and would not reinstate him prior to completion of the investigation, prompting the lawsuit to be brought.

"Public schools have no business compelling teachers to express ideological beliefs that they don't hold, nor do they have the right to suspend someone simply for respectfully providing their opinion at a public meeting," ADF senior counsel Tyson Langhofer said in a statement.

"The school district favors a certain set of beliefs on a hotly contested issue, and it wants to force Tanner to cry uncle and endorse them as well. That's neither legal nor constitutional, and neither was the school's move to place Tanner on leave," he added.

Loudoun County teacher put on administrative leave after speaking to the school board. youtu.be

Christian teacher suspended after declaring he won't 'lie' to students and 'affirm that a biological boy can be a girl, and vice versa'



A Christian physical education teacher has been placed on administrative leave after declaring in a speech that he would not "lie" to his students and "defile" God by affirming that "a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa," Fox News reported.

What are the details?

The teacher, Byron "Tanner" Cross, made the defiant declaration at a Loudon County school board meeting on Tuesday, according to the nonprofit group, Parents Against Critical Race Theory.

During the speech, Cross voiced his opposition to new transgender-affirming policies pushed by the school district that require all staff use a student's preferred gender pronouns and permitted transgender students to participate in activities consistent with their gender identity, rather than their biological sex.

"My name is Tanner Cross and I am speaking out of love for those who are suffering from gender dysphoria," Cross said at the opening of his speech.

"'60 Minutes' this past Sunday interviewed over 30 young people who transitioned, but they felt led astray because of lack of pushback or how easy it was to make physical changes to their bodies in just three months. They are now de-transitioning," he continued.

Loudoun County teacher put on administrative leave after speaking to the school board. youtu.be

"It's not my intention to hurt anyone, but there are certain truths that we must face when ready. We condemn school policies like 8040 and [8350] because it will damage children [and] defile the holy image of God," Cross added.

"I love all of my students but I will never lie to them regardless of the consequences. I'm a teacher but I serve God first and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl, and vice versa, because it's against my religion," he explained. "It's lying to a child, it's abuse to a child, and it's sinning against our God."

What else?

In an email reportedly obtained by PACT and shown to Fox News, Leesburg Elementary Principal Shawn Lacey informed parents that Cross had been placed on administrative leave.

"I'm contacting you to let you know that one of our physical education teachers, Tanner Cross, is on leave beginning this morning," Lacey said in the email. "In his absence, his duties will be covered by substitute staff already working in our building. I wanted you to know this because it may affect your student's school routine. Because this involves a personnel matter, I can offer no further information."

Loudon County Public Schools confirmed to Fox News that Lacey sent the email regarding Cross, but noted that noted that "the decision to place an employee on leave is not the principal's."

The spokesperson went on to say, "The contents of personnel files are confidential under state and federal law. I cannot comment other to say that Mr. Cross is on administrative leave with pay."

Anything else?

According to LCPS documents, policy 8040 specifies that, "School staff shall, at the request of a student or parent/legal guardian, when using a name or pronoun to address the student, use the name and pronoun that correspond to their gender identity. The use of gender-neutral pronouns are appropriate."

It adds: "Inadvertent slips in the use of names or pronouns may occur; however, staff or students who intentionally and persistently refuse to respect a student's gender identity by using the wrong name and gender pronoun are in violation of this policy."

Policy 8350 states: "LCPS staff shall allow gender-expansive and transgender students to 37 participate in such activities in a manner consistent with the student's gender identity."