Philly schools settles Justice suit over beards
The Philadelphia School District has settled a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice accusing the schools of discriminating against an employee who said he couldn’t trim his beard for religious reasons.
The Philadelphia Daily News reports the lawsuit filed in March was settled Monday.
The lawsuit was prompted by an October 2010 policy preventing school police and security officers from having beards more than a quarter of an inch long. The Justice Department says the policy discriminated against a Muslim officer and others by failing to accommodate their religious beliefs.
An attorney for the district says it can keep the beard-trimming requirement, but must come up with a more detailed policy for how officers can request a religious accommodation. The district had previously settled a complaint by the guard confidentially.
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.
This Philly shelter dog is the star of a new graphic novel
Midnight, found tied to a street pole in 2019, is a Rocky-esque underdog who found redemption.
58 mins ago
Supporters cheer Trump at South Philly inauguration watch party
Republicans called Trump’s speech “uplifting" and said they believed the new president would unite the country and bring peace.
13 hours ago
‘A greater nation’: Street renaming commemorates MLK speech in West Philly
Martin Luther King Jr. came to the city in August 1965 as part of a protest campaign targeting big cities up North. His visit included a stop in Mantua.
13 hours ago