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 Teacher's 'terrorist' joke no laughing matter for student
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Posted 2008-03-17, 07:47 PM
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Teacher's 'terrorist' joke no laughing matter for student
Quote:
HIGHLAND PARK | High School senior files suit over remark in class
March 15, 2008Recommend
BY JUDY MASTERSON Waukegan News-Sun
Maysam Amanishourbariki says he's been called a terrorist at his Highland Park high school at least three times since the fall.
The senior, who uses "Amani" for short, said he twice faced down fellow students who taunted him with that label last year.
But when a teacher told him he "fit the stereotype of a terrorist," he said he didn't know how to react.
"Everyone started to laugh," he said. "I just sat there. I was confused. I didn't know what to do. I was angry and upset."
The outgoing senior, who plays on the school's boys volleyball team, is of Iranian heritage but was born in the United States, like three older brothers who all attended Highland Park High.
The Amanishourbariki family says it plans to file a discrimination suit in federal court next week against Township High School District 113.
The teacher's remark came in the wake of an exchange in which she cajoled Amani into pulling down his hoodie and taking off his hat, which he said he wore because he was self-conscious about a new haircut.
"Right after she said it, one of the students -- a freshman -- got up and gave her a high five," Amani said. "I was like, 'Is this kid serious?' They treated it like a joke, but it's not a joke."
Amani, 17, burned for days about being made a laughingstock, he said, before finally telling his parents. His father and mother, a school custodian and a day care worker, "were furious," he said.
"It got to the point where they were getting sick over it," Amani said. "My mom had trouble sleeping and eating. The believed America is a place where people from anywhere can come and be successful."
Amani said his teacher apologized weeks later, but neither he nor his parents received a satisfactory response from the administration.
Chicago attorney Tamara Holder said she plans to file a federal complaint arguing that Amani was the victim of discrimination and defamation and asking for unspecified damages.
Carol Votsmier, spokeswoman for District 113, said the district "prides itself on diversity and acceptance, and the situation concerns us."
Sun-Times News Group
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http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/8...high15.article
 
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