NY: In First Round, Judge Rules Ag ainst Arabic School ’s Ex-Principal

[Harold Schiffman]

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December 6, 2007

In First Round, Judge Rules Against Arabic School's Ex-Principal

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A judge ruled yesterday against the claim of the founding principal of
New York City's first Arabic-themed school that her right to free
speech was violated when she was forced out during a furor over
comments she made in a newspaper interview. In a preliminary finding
in the case, Judge Sidney H. Stein of Federal District Court in
Manhattan ruled against Debbie Almontaser, who had been principal of
the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn. Ms. Almontaser
sued Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg,
saying they violated her First Amendment rights by pressuring her to
step down after discussing the history of the word "intifada" during
an August interview. She had been criticized for not condemning the
use of the word on a T-shirt.

The judge said that Ms. Almontaser had participated in the interview
as school principal, and that since her employer was responsible for
supervising messages to the public, her speech was not protected. Ms.
Almontaser said that the intent of her words about intifada had been
distorted. The judge, though, noted that she had been instructed by
the schools' public relations staff not to discuss the T-shirts. The
New York Civil Liberties Union criticized the judge's ruling. "This is
just another example of how recent Supreme Court rulings are
undermining constitutional rights in general and First Amendment
rights in particular," said Christopher Dunn, associate legal director
of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The judge also refused Ms. Almontaser's request that he stop the city
from looking for a new principal. The ruling did not end the case,
however. The lawsuit proceeds to a trial based on more evidence,
rather than the two-day hearing on which the judge based his
preliminary ruling. The school is the first in the city to teach Arab
culture and language.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/nyregion/06arabic.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

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