Fort Worth ISD said it will reassign a new principal after her hire sparked a sharp backlash from conservatives and far-right groups.<\/p>\n
The district this week announced Shayma Alzubi as the new principal of Western Hills High School, including a photograph of\u00a0Alzubi wearing a Muslim head scarf.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Fort Worth ISD<\/a> removed the post and said in a statement that Alzubi was reassigned pending an internal investigation. Previous statements\u00a0Alzubi made on social media \u201cmay not align with the district\u2019s social media policy and expectations for staff,\u201d the district said.<\/p>\n Reached by phone Tuesday afternoon, Alzubi declined to comment. Fort Worth ISD<\/a> declined to provide additional details and said it would not comment further.<\/p>\n Alzubi\u2019s hire went viral Tuesday after the influential far-right group Libs of TikTok<\/a> shared previous statements and photographs she posted in support of Black Lives Matter, Palestinians and Dreamers, the term given to immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. The account urged followers to contact the district to voice opposition.<\/p>\n In one, Alzubi shared a post by Texas Reporter that said Sharia<\/a> is not a threat to Texas but the moral code laid out in Muslim scriptures. <\/p>\n Fort Worth ISD said administrators ensure that \u201call issues of public policy or social affairs be explored objectively and in a manner free from political bias. Our district leaders, educators and staff will not inject personal political perspectives into classrooms.”<\/p>\n Related: Frisco stabbing unleashed a flood of online hate and misinformation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The strife comes as Fort Worth ISD is under state control<\/a>. Last year, the Texas Education Agency opted to take over the district after a campus received a failing rating for five consecutive years. Education Commissioner Mike\u00a0Morath installed former Florida educator\u00a0Peter Licata<\/a> to lead the district, and appointed a board of managers to oversee the district\u2019s affairs.<\/p>\n Texas State Board of Education member Brandon Hall<\/a>, a conservative pastor who represents Fort Worth, urged the Texas Education Agency to investigate Alzubi. Hall said he spoke with Licata on Tuesday after reports of her posts surfaced online.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has nothing to do with her religion,\u201d Hall said in a text message to The Dallas Morning News. \u201cSchool leaders are held to a higher standard for their public statements.\u201d<\/p>\n Hall said posts from\u00a0Alzubi defending Sharia and supporting Palestinians disqualified her from school leadership.<\/p>\n Alzubi began her education career in 2013 as a science teacher in Fort Worth ISD, according to an announcement of her hire. She recently served as an assistant principal where she led collaborative learning focused on teacher development and student growth.<\/p>\n \u201cFor many students, parents and staff,\u201d the announcement read, \u201cthe hiring also signals a continued investment in growing both teachers and student success from within the district.\u201d<\/p>\n Some on social media criticized the hire and said it was proof that Muslims were taking over Texas. In Texas, about 2% of adults identify as Muslim, according to the\u00a0PEW Research Religious Landscape Study<\/a>. In Dallas-Fort Worth, that number is 1%.<\/p>\n Anti-Islamic rhetoric has mounted in recent months. A \u201cSharia Free\u201d caucus formed in the Texas statehouse, and a similar caucus in Congress was founded by Texas congressional Republicans Chip Roy and Keith Self.<\/p>\n Last week, a Frisco City Council meeting to consider approving a new mosque, a Hindu temple and a Jain temple drew fiery opposition <\/a>from dozens of speakers, including Frisco pastor Brandon Burden and Jake Lang, a Florida activist who was pardoned for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Texas politicians to stop the anti-Muslim rhetoric<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mustafaa Carroll, the group\u2019s executive director, said the CAIR has received hundreds of reports of harassment against Muslims in North Texas in recent months, including incidents of Muslims being harassed while praying in public spaces.<\/p>\n \u201cWe urge public officials and community leaders to reject bigotry and to instead foster a safety environment for all Texans,\u201d Carroll said.<\/p>\n