Student In Hijab Attacked At Middle School In Glendale Heights

GLENDALE HEIGHTS, IL — An investigation is underway following an attack on a Glenside Middle School student who was wearing a hijab Thursday.

A video circulating on social media shows a male student grabbing a female student as she stands near her locker and tossing her to the ground, with several other students standing nearby.

In a letter to families of Queen Bee School District 16 on Monday, Superintendent Joseph R. Williams wrote that "the faculty and administration responded to protect the victim and clear the scene of the incident."

Williams added, "We immediately initiated an investigation and notified the Glendale Heights Police Department, who initiated their own investigation."

Per Williams, the student was "physically uninjured" and the district was working to provide them with social and emotional resources.

"We have concluded our school-based investigation, and we can report to you that we have identified the students responsible for this attack," Williams wrote.

"We have no evidence at this time to lead us to believe that this attack was motivated by racial, cultural or religious intolerance," he added. "However, the conduct of the individuals responsible for this attack in intolerable, unacceptable and inconsistent with the values of our school district and this community."

Following the incident, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago shared an appeal to local law enforcement and the school district to further investigate the attack and other incidences of bullying.

Citing "minor confidentiality laws" for "our limited availability to share details regarding consequences," Williams's message concluded by saying that the district is "taking steps to ensure that the students responsible for this incident are held fully accountable to the limit of all relevant laws."

The Glendale Heights Police Department did not immediately respond to Patch's request for more information Tuesday afternoon.