Edison school district probing alleged threat against Muslim students

EDISON - The school district is reviewing allegations that an Edison High School assistant principal threatened retaliation against members of the school's Muslim Students Association (MSA) after they requested to host a joint Ramadan Iftar, a fast breaking evening meal, with students from area schools earlier this year.

Superintendent of Schools Edward Aldarelli called for a "thorough investigation" after being made aware of the alleged incident by the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) a Newark-based group that works to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice and empower American Muslims.

"As the superintendent of Edison Township Public Schools, I want to reassure our community that we are taking this matter seriously. The district is immediately reviewing the allegation raised by CAIR-NJ, and we are committed to conducting a thorough investigation," Aldarelli said in an email statement, adding that due to the confidential nature of personnel matters, the district cannot publicly discuss any details or actions.

"I personally take the issue seriously and I have spoken with our Superintendent Dr. Aldarelli to perform a thorough review of the matter so that there is a right outcome of the situation at hand," Edison Board of Education President Biral Patel said in an email statement.

The students allege the assistant principal threatened to contact the colleges where they have been accepted and explain what was going on if the students choose to seek outside entities in advocating for the Iftar event at Edison High School. The students also allege the assistant principal was intimidating them.

"I have no problem contacting your university where you got in and explaining what's going on if you want to take it further. That's the route that I'll take if you take it further because you guys are not upholding good leadership skills and I don't think any university would want to have students who don't fulfill good character and values. Do you understand?" Assistant Principal Nicole Himmelstein allegedly said in an audio recording of the conversation.

CAIR-NJ, which obtained the roughly three-minute audio recording of the meeting between the eight-member MSA board and the assistant principal, has verified the authenticity of the recording and confirmed the names of speakers, the organization said.

The student organization initially contacted CAIR-NJ after the incident, but at that time one MSA member feared the school would retaliate and disband the organization.

According to CAIR-NJ, MSA members met with Himmelstein on Feb. 29 to discuss their annual Ramadan Iftar. The meeting came after the student organization asked to host an Iftar at the high school and invite students from Piscataway and North Brunswick high schools.

The MSA has held joint Iftar events during Ramadan in previous years. This time MSA board members were reportedly instructed by the assistant principal that they were barred from hosting the event with other schools because of security concerns.

More: Was anything learned in East Brunswick yearbook controversy?

However, the school district didn't explain what those security concerns were. But in the recorded conversation, Himmelstein allegedly said the event did not go well the previous year and the district's security team had to deal with personalities from other schools that she should not have had to deal with.

Instead, the assistant principal told MSA members they can either host an Iftar only for Edison High School students or not do it at all, according to MSA members and an audio recording of the meeting.

“I felt discriminated against, and the board felt afraid as well because it felt like she was threatening our college acceptances after we worked hard for four years," Taha Shaikh, former president of Edison High School's MSA said in a statement. “I felt she was trying to bully us into not hosting the joint event, even though other school clubs have been allowed to invite outside students to their events."

More: Muslim elementary school proposed in Piscataway. Here's the plan

“CAIR-NJ heard from students who expressed how the joint Iftar event between high schools near Edison is how they build, cultivate and maintain a sense of community and belonging," said Aya Elamroussi, CAIR-NJ interim communications manager.

"It’s disheartening and extremely alarming to see a school official who is supposed to lead by example allegedly use her position of power to threaten Muslim students over an event aimed at nurturing their relationship and growing their community,” Elamroussi said. “CAIR-NJ calls on the Edison Board of Education to review this matter and treat it seriously so that other students aren’t subjected to this type of vindictive behavior and bullying.”

Himmelstein, who the school district's website also lists as Nicole Kesselman, has served as an assistant principal at Edison High School for nine years.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Edison school district probing alleged threat against Muslim students