A Florida teacher is no longer on staff at a Broward County school after a video showing her interrupting Muslim students’ daily prayers went viral.
The unidentified teacher worked at the Franklin Academy in Pembroke Pines, Florida, until video of the incident hit social media Wednesday, according to local WPLG.
In the videothe music and recitations of Islamic prayers are interrupted by the teacher, who says, “Wait, this is in my office and you guys are doing this magic?”
Another teacher reportedly entered the room and began to blow a whistle.
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The viral video shows a former teacher at Franklin Academy in Pembroke Pines, Florida appearing to interrupt Muslim students during prayer.
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“I believe in Jesus, so I’m disrupting the floor,” says the teacher, who then appears to step on the students’ hands as they try to continue praying on their mats.
The video drew condemnation from the Florida chapter of the Council on American and Islamic Relations, whose communications director, Wilfredo Ruiz, described the video to the local outlet as “repulsive” and accused the teacher of intimidating Muslim students.
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Muslims attend a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) town hall meeting at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center on March 17, 2017, in Falls Church, Virginia.
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“To see a teacher expressing so much hate and harassing students when teachers are supposed to be the ones protecting students and protecting their good deeds, like this one,” Ruiz said.
“What we hope will happen in the schools is that our students have full support in their activities,” added Ruiz. “Not only their academic activities but any activity that enriches their academic environment.”
Student-led prayers that do not interrupt instructional time are protected by the First Amendment.
Franklin Academy also condemned the incident on Thursday, saying the teacher involved no longer works at the institution.
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A statement issued by Franklin Academy informed a local outlet that the teacher in question is no longer on staff.
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“Earlier today, a very concerning TikTok video was shared with our leadership team,” the school said in a statement on Facebook. “The video appears to show a teacher interrupting students during a moment of prayer. Upon receiving the video, the leadership of the organization and the school began to investigate the situation immediately.”
Explaining how they do not tolerate discriminatory behavior, the school continued: “While we do not discuss personnel matters, we can share with you that the teacher in question is no longer a staff member at Franklin Academy.”
“We thank our parents for partnering with us and trusting us with their children and their education. Through the ongoing communication we foster as a team, our schools can only become stronger,” the school added.
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In a subsequent statement posted on Facebook, the school said that some on social media had “misidentified and falsely identified in the comments of many social media posts” a reading interventionist as the teacher involved, and called on the community to stop the spread of such misinformation.
