Mother posts pro-Palestinian comments online, leading to son’s expulsion from school

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A 15-year-old was expelled from his private school after his mother posted pro-Palestinian content on social media. She previously served as a math tutor at the school, which alleged that her posts made students uncomfortable and her termination was necessary to maintain daily operations.

Key Players

Jad Abuhamda, a 10th-grade student, was expelled from the Pine Crest School after his mother posted pro-Palestinian content on social media. 

Maha Almasri, the mother of Abuhamda and a former math tutor at the Pine Crest School, was removed from her position after posting the pro-Palestinian content.

The Pine Crest School is an independent pre-K through 12th grade school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to its website, it focuses on “educating a generation of students to be emotionally intelligent, intellectually inspired, and prepared to change the world.”

The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an advocacy group representing Abuhamda and Almasri, has called for the U.S. Department of Education to investigate Abuhamda’s expulsion.

Further Details

On Nov. 19, 2023, the Pine Crest School fired Almasri for posting pro-Palestinian content online. 

Her posts highlighted the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas, the number of explosives dropped on Gaza, the historical significance of the region, and the Israel-Palestinian conflict, CNN reported. For instance, one post included a cartoon graphic of an Israeli soldier pointing a gun at a newborn in an incubator. 

According to an official statement from the school, Almasri had been previously warned to take down her posts, but continued to post nonetheless. 

“[T]here is no place in our institution for activity that is discriminatory, incendiary, or that supports, encourages, or incites violence or hatefulness of any kind,” the school stated, adding that the posts “were causing significant fear and disruption among students and parents, cautioning her about the impact she was having on our school community.”

Because of Almasri’s posts, her son was expelled, a decision the school justified by saying that Almasri’s posts violated the student handbook and enrollment agreement, impacting “the eligibility of her child to continue as a student at the School.”

“[T]he Student Handbook and enrollment agreement make clear that if a parent engages in behavior that is ‘disruptive, intimidating, or overly aggressive’ or ‘interferes … with the School’s … safety procedures, responsibilities, or the accomplishment of its educational purpose or program,’ the School may take the action that it deems necessary to address the situation,” Pine Crest stated.

After the expulsion of Abuhamda and termination of Almasri, the pair spoke out, saying that the school had violated their Free Speech rights and was hiding the ongoing crisis in Gaza. The mother and son also pushed back against the school’s claim that Almasri’s posts were “incendiary.” 

“I don’t believe [my posts] were disruptive to the community. They were disagreeable to some people within the community,” Almasri told Local 10 News. 

Abuhamda’s expulsion elucidated an important caveat to the state of Free Speech in the United States: private schools, as nongovernmental entities, are not subject to the same Free Speech requirements as public schools. According to the Student Press Law Center, “The First Amendment only protects against censorship by government officials; it would not restrict censorship by, for example, the headmaster of a private school.” 

Outcome

CAIR calls for investigation

In response to the expulsion, CAIR-Florida requested a formal investigation from the U.S. Department of Education. Omar Saleh, CAIR-Florida’s lead attorney, spoke out against the school’s decision. 

“This is not a Muslim issue,” he said at a press conference on Dec. 14, 2023. “It is a constitutional issue when a school administration takes retaliatory measures against an innocent student because his mother made non-violent, non-disruptive comments on her social media platform that criticized atrocities against innocent civilians in Gaza. Pine Crest administration unfortunately can’t stand to hear it because it ‘makes others uncomfortable.’” 

“None of my posts were inciting violence, they were merely shedding light on what was happening, the humanitarian crisis that was happening in Gaza,” Almasri stated. “It didn’t call for hate or violence or any of that. I feel that, again, criticizing a government or a set of people should not lead to any retaliation against that person who’s trying to express that and also take it upon themselves to also punish her child.”