Philly schools accused of religious beard bias

Source: Associated Press

Philly schools accused of religious beard bias
| March 5, 2014 | Updated: March 5, 2014 10:48pm

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The city's school district has been accused in a federal lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice of discriminating against an employee who said he couldn't trim his beard for religious reasons.

The complaint, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, alleges the School District of Philadelphia in October 2010 instituted a grooming policy preventing school police and security officers from having beards more than a quarter of an inch long and discriminated against Siddiq Abu-Bakr and other people by failing to accommodate their religious beliefs.

A spokesman for the school district, the eighth largest school district in the nation, didn't immediately return a cellphone message seeking comment on the lawsuit Wednesday night. His school voicemail box was full.

Abu-Bakr, a longtime school police officer, is a member of the Islamic faith, which requires him to let his beard grow, the lawsuit says. He has kept his beard, which is longer than a quarter of an inch, uncut for the 27 years he has worked for the school district, and there's no evidence it has interfered with his job performance, the lawsuit says.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Philly-schools-accused-of-religious-beard-bias-5292268.php