Dearborn Heights School Counselor Says Arab-American Students Neglected

posted on: Feb 24, 2012

Two federal agencies are investigating the Crestwood School District in Dearborn Heights based on a high school counselor’s complaints that the district is failing to provide needed services to Arab-American students.

Counselor Hiam Brinjikji discussed the concerns during a news conference Thursday, saying she and the other two high school counselors — who joined her at the conference — have raised numerous concerns about the lack of education the children are receiving. Many are new to the country and don’t speak English, but Brinjikji said the district has only one certified English-as-a-second-language teacher.

“It is immoral, it’s unethical of any educator to witness this and not speak up,” Brinjikji said.

She also said the district has discriminated against prospective teachers who are Arab American. The counselors who raised concerns all say they’ve been retaliated against, including having reprimands placed in their personnel files.

Brinjikji filed complaints last fall with the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Justice and Education departments have launched investigations.

Crestwood Superintendent Laurine VanValkenburg said she’s limited in what she can say about the complaints, but said the district takes it seriously and is cooperating with the investigations.

However, she said, “We categorically deny Mrs. Brinjikji’s allegations of discrimination and retaliation.”

The conference was held at the Michigan office of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Dearborn. Imad Hamad, senior national adviser and regional director, called the situation in the district “appalling” and said all students should have “fair and adequate and equal treatment and services.”

Civil rights attorney Shereef Akeel said the district has 4,000 students, a majority of whom are Arab American. Federal law, he said, requires the district to “meet and provide adequate resources for all students.”

In Crestwood, he said, students “are being denied the right to have resources to be able to learn the English language so they can become contributing citizens in America,” Akeel said.

Lori Higgens
Detroit Free Press