STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — In Strongsville schools, one teacher is on administrative leave and under investigation after a photo of a white board caused an uproar on social media, now, families want answers.
Ayat Dawud is a sophomore at Strongsville High, where, on Tuesday, she was shocked by what she saw on a classroom whiteboard.
“I walked my friend to a class. It's right by my class, and then I look at the board just to just look at the board, and I see the word terrorists by Islam. I took a picture, sent it to my sister, who's also a senior at the school, and we go straight to Mr. Wingler," Dawud said.
The photo she took and brought to Strongsville High School Principal Bill Wingler shows written on the board the following:
Islamic = "Normal" believers
IslamIST = Terrorist
It's a message that she and her older sister Nema Dawud thought was completely inappropriate.
“It's just not justifiable. You know what I mean? Islamist is an advocator or someone who supports Islam fundamentalism. That is the textbook definition — nowhere in that does it say 'terrorist,'” said Ayat.
“I would have tried to have been more sincere and more considerate of my students moving forward. Especially if I know there are students in the class that have Middle Eastern background,” said Nema.
That photo circulated on social media, catching the attention of Fatima Labeche and Mustafa Ayad, Muslim parents of other students in the district.
“So, the first thing that I thought of is what anyone else, any Muslim person, would think is, 'Oh my goodness, this guy's Islamophobic,'” said Fatima.
Labeche then dug a little bit deeper and worries context may be missing, and there were many unanswered questions, including the teacher's intentions.
“We cannot fall into the trap of crying wolf, where we can't force Islamophobia on things that are not really Islamophobic. If that was circulated with more of a background, that would have been a different story,” said Labeche.
While her husband Mustafa Ayad agrees that the incident needs more vetting, he believes the teacher should have known better and wants to see a shift in how Muslims are described in the classroom.
“I do think with the recent conflict and everything that's happening in the world that words matter, and they should kind of choose the words that they use more carefully,” said Mustafa.
The school released a statement following the incident, apologizing to the Muslim community in Strongsville and stating the incident is being investigated.
“A teacher wrote a statement on the board during a lesson / discussion on Islam that should not have been written. The teacher has since been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation," the district stated.
Fatima and Mustafa believe those are the right next steps, while Nema and Ayat think more could be done.
“I feel like I just want fair consequences. I feel like if I said something like this, being Palestinian Islamic background, I would have had a higher consequence,” said Nema.
“There is a great diverse population at Strongsville High School. The students are very diverse, but we do not have teachers who represent the student body population. That's what I’m working towards,” said Ayat.
The school added counselors are available if anyone needs them. News 5 also reached out to the teacher involved, and we’re waiting for a response.
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