A group of parents and former students has filed a federal lawsuit against the Palo Alto Unified School District in California, claiming that a high school field trip to a mosque crossed constitutional boundaries. According to the complaint filed on August 8, students on the visit were given copies of the Quran, female students were encouraged to wear hijabs, and the group observed Muslim prayer services.
The lawsuit centers on a field trip conducted last fall as part of a "social justice" curriculum track at Palo Alto High School. The plaintiffs, who include Jewish parents and students, allege that participants were also exposed to messaging that linked Islam with social justice activism. They further claim that photographs of students were posted online without proper parental consent.
The complaint specifically names Zahra Billoo, executive director of the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), who participated in the program. Parents argue that students were presented with her viewpoints without any balancing perspective.
Billoo rejected the allegations, stating that the visit was purely educational in nature. "The role of educators is to teach students and expose them to different worldviews. That's what happened here," she said. She emphasized that students learned about Muslim customs and that participation in any religious activities was entirely voluntary.
District Superintendent Jason Glass said the school system is still reviewing the claims. He stressed that district policy requires that instruction about religion be academic rather than devotional, and that schools are prohibited from promoting or denigrating any faith. The parents are seeking monetary damages and a declaration that the district failed to properly supervise students and violated their privacy rights.
