Laval parents, students denounce private high school’s dress code banning religious symbols; school refutes

Parents of six Muslim girls who attend Collège Citoyen, a private high school in Laval, north of Montreal, have written an open letter denouncing what their daughters went through, alleging staff at the school met with them in early September and said they can no longer wear their hijabs in school as it violates the new dress code.

The school later backtracked, said it was a misunderstanding and that an accommodation request was needed to wear their hijabs.

But a secondary four student and her mother are speaking out against the school’s version of what happened. The 15-year-old and her mother wished to remain anonymous.

(Courtesy: Alyssia Rubertucci, CityNews image)

“All I really wanted was like an [apology] from them and then stop denying what happened because it’s like they’re making me look crazy,” said the secondary four student.

“There was no misinterpretation,” said the mother. “The words were clear, the message was clear, your daughters have until September 11 to remove the veil if she wants to come to school. They didn’t give us an option. On September 6, there was no such form to request an exemption. Then they completely changed the facts, they have denied everything that happened.”

“As a mother, I felt that I failed in my role as a mother to provide her with a safe place, a place where she would not be insulted or humiliated,” she added. “My daughter felt very humiliated. We spent a sleepless night, we cried a lot.”

The young girl says the week before, the school initially outlined how she had to wear the hijab, before they told her it would be prohibited.

“My director called me and he like said we have to go to his office and he talked to us and the first thing he said is that it’s not only you,” said the teen. “It’s other people with dyed hair, piercings, and wearing crosses.”

“I was crying a little bit with my friends too, and then he told us we had to take it off Monday, but like the sooner would be the better,” the student said. “But for me it wasn’t like an option at the moment. I was just like, ‘No, I can’t.’ So my first question was like, ‘Can I transfer schools?'” 

The student said administration told her they didn’t want her to leave the school.

“But I was like, ‘no, it’s going to be hard for me to take off my hijab immediately.'”

Almost 7,000 signatures were collected in support of the students.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) has since stepped in to help the families, allowing them to publish their open letter.

(Courtesy: Alyssia Rubertucci, CityNews image)

“The rights for worship is protected by our charters, so in terms of legalities, we’re talking about discrimination right here,” said Yasser Lahlou, the Quebec Community Engagement Officer at the NCCM. “We’re trying to clarify what is going on exactly with the college and see what is their formal position is on this matter.”

After multiple attempts to reach out to Collège Citoyen from late Friday afternoon to Monday, they told CityNews by phone Monday afternoon that they won’t make any comments regarding the situation.

In an Instagram post on Sept. 8, the school said that all students can request an exemption, adding that the rules hadn’t changed. They said that all requests would be individual.

 

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“I told them I want a massive apology, to feel comfortable, to feel that you regret what you put her through,” said the mother, as she spoke to school administration.

She said the school would apologize.

“But then when I made the request officially by email, they refused.”

The young girl says the incident has pushed her to likely change schools next year. 

“I need that, like that apology to move on, you know, to, um, for them to admit that really happened,” she said.