The Department of Education can go forward with its search for a permanent principal for the city’s first Arabic-language school, Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn, U.S. District court judge Sidney Stein ruled yesterday.
The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Dhaba “Debbie” Almontaser that claimed her application to return to the position was rejected because of public comments she made over the summer when she refused to condemn a t-shirt that read “intifada.”
In November, Ms. Almontaser sued the education department, charging they forced her to resign and violated her constitutional rights. An attorney for Ms. Almontaser, Alan Levine, said they would appeal the decision. An attorney for the city law department, James Lemonedes, said the judge made a “well-rounded decision” and that the process for appointing a principal is continuing.
