FBI may look into allegedly racially-motivated school fight that injured Charlotte teen
School district says it was fight between students, not an attack
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The FBI is reportedly being asked to look into a high school fight that a Charlotte family says was rooted in racism.
Federal authorities are being asked to investigate a fight that happened on March 7 at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. The fight left a 15-year-old girl with injuries to her face that will require surgery, the girl’s family said.
The family claims that the school fight was not a fight, but rather an attack. They say the 15-year-old girl was targeted by another student for her race and Muslim faith.
That claim has not been verified by local police or by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The school district maintains the situation was a fight and not an attack.
Representatives from the Islamic Center of Charlotte held a press conference on Wednesday, March 12 alongside the family of the 15-year-old girl. Jibril Hough -- a spokesperson for the family and the Islamic center -- said the other student involved in the fight “called our sister the B word and the N word.”
“He told her to go back to her country. A sister who wears the hijab daily and is clearly identifiable as a Muslim,” Hough said Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear who the second student involved in the fight was, or whether they were injured. Charlotte police say they will not publicly release records about the students involved, since they are both under the age of 18.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department also said in a social media post on Thursday, March 13 that it does not have the authority to classify hate crimes. Police are instead submitting a report to the FBI “for further investigation.”
“The FBI, rather than the CMPD, holds the ultimate authority in determining which incidents are classified as hate crimes,” the police department said.
It was not immediately known whether the FBI would investigate the case. The FBI does have a field office in Charlotte, as it does in dozens of other major U.S. cities.
Family says injured girl won’t return to the school
WBTV’s Claire Kopsky reports: The girl’s family spoke out during the Wednesday press conference, questioning the physical altercation that they say left the 15-year-old freshman student badly injured. Family said the girl suffered injuries to her eye, nose, and cheek bones.
“As a fellow Muslim student at Ardrey Kell, I just don’t know if I feel safe at this school anymore,” said freshman Mariam Zaini, a friend of the injured teenage girl.
The injured girl said she was being bullied before the fight happened, according to her brother, who also attended and graduated from the high school.
“She would come home and tell me she was getting bullied. But I just tell her, just ignore it. You know it doesn’t matter. They just keep talking,” brother Ibraheem Nasif said. “I went through it as well. People calling me a terrorist, all that.”
In response to the family’s press conference, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools held their own follow-up press conference Wednesday afternoon. District officials stood by their version of the events, saying that was happened was a fight between students and not an attack.
Officials also refused to answer many questions due to student privacy restrictions.
”Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools does not tolerate violence in our schools,“ said Tim Ivey, the district’s chief communications officer. ”Audrey Kell High School followed all policies and procedures as outlined in the board policy manual and Student Code of Conduct -- including involving law enforcement, calling 911 immediately, and providing medical attention.”
The family told WBTV, however, that they had to take the injured girl to the emergency room themselves.
A neighbor of the 15-year-old girl said she was “heartbroken” to see the culture has not changed since she was a student at Ardrey Kell.
“They would say, ‘Go back to your country,’ and ‘illegal immigrant,’” Najia Shafei said Wednesday.
It’s a feeling that the girl’s family says they are speaking out to try to change.
“It’s not just about our sister here. It’s is about anyone’s child,” family representative Hough said. “We don’t want this to happen, [to] continue to happen, in CMS.”
The girl’s doctor said the injured teen will need surgery on her eye, nose, and cheek bones, the family told WBTV.
The family also said the girl will not return to Ardrey Kell High School for the remainder of the school year. They are already looking for a new school for her, once she recovers from her injuries.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' Board of Education issued a statement on March 13 saying it is aware of what happened, and that violence in schools is not tolerated.
To make it clear, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) does not tolerate violence in our schools. We have faith in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) to conduct a thorough and prudent criminal investigation.
The Board of Education expects its students and staff to comply with board policies. Every incident of student misconduct is to be immediately investigated by school staff per board policy S-DISC and state law. We are committed to doing those things to ensure a positive and safe school experience for both students and staff.
Although we understand the community’s concerns, we cannot provide further details at this time due to privacy laws. The Board of Education is committed to doing everything within its power to ensure that students are safe, our policies are followed, and when they are not, appropriate actions are taken.
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