Multi-Faith Parents Sue Palo Alto District Over 2025 Mosque Trip

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 26

An August 7 lawsuit accuses Palo Alto Unified and Palo Alto High principal Brent Kline of exposing minors to religious activities during a 2025 mosque field trip tied to the school’s Social Justice Pathway.
Parents from Jewish, Hindu and Zoroastrian families say students were given hijabs and Qurans, observed Dhuhr prayer, and were taught Islam promotes social justice without parental consent.
The Muslim Community Association said the suit wrongly treats ordinary exposure to Muslim faith as coercive and risks fueling Islamophobia, while Superintendent Jason Glass said the district is reviewing the allegations but will not discuss pending litigation.
Student editor Juni Thurston disputed claims of forced hijab use or indoctrination, though she said CAIR Bay Area executive director Zahra Billoo should not have been included in the trip.
FIRE said any requirement that students wear religious attire on a public-school trip would conflict with the First Amendment, sharpening the case’s church-state stakes.