Solidarity Prayer Service Planned Following Mystic Valley School Hijab Incident

MALDEN, MA — Community members and local faith leaders will gather alongside representatives of Mystic Valley Regional Charter School administration on Tuesday afternoon for a “Solidarity Prayer Service” at Malden City Hall.

The event is set for 3:30 p.m. It comes on the heels of controversy last week and over the weekend after family members said the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden gave a student a uniform violation for wearing a hijab to school.

The city of Malden announced this upcoming event around 12 p.m. on Tuesday, describing it as an event “in support of students who have been harmed by the MVRCS religious accommodation uniform policy.”

“Faith leaders are invited to say a few words and offer prayers for healing and guidance towards reconciliation,” the city said in its announcement.

Students and their families will also have time to share their experience, the city said. There will also be social workers on hand “to help attendees process any strong emotional responses.”

“The sharing of these experiences, interfaith prayers, and a statement from MVRCS will follow a restorative justice model to bring our community together and heal this long time divide,” the city said.

There is a remote attendance option, with participants invited to log into the event using a Zoom link.

The passcode for the Zoom meeting is 488534.

The webinar ID is 929 1634 1175.

Mystic Valley Regional Charter school, which draws students from area communities including Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham and Wakefield was the subject of intense criticism beginning last Friday after family members of a student at the school shared photos on social media of a uniform infraction form that they said was sent home.

The form identified the infraction as “Jihab,” which family members said was a misspelling of “hijab.”

The school responded with a statement on Sunday, saying that “Mystic Valley Regional Charter School wishes to express its regret at how the recent incident of one of our Muslim students who chose to express her faith by wearing the hijab was mishandled.”

The school detailed a policy where students are allowed to wear religious attire “as an expression of their sincerely held beliefs,” provided that they obtain a letter from “a member of their clergy.”

The school said it would use this incident “as a learning opportunity” to improve policies and procedures, reaching out to the religious community as part of that process.

Mystic Valley’s recent uniform incident is the latest in a string of controversies at the school, including a situation in 2017 where it punished a pair of students, who are Black, for wearing hair extensions.

That situation later prompted the state to pass the CROWN Act earlier this year, banning descrimination based on hairstyle.

READ: Malden Student Given Uniform Violation For Wearing Hijab, Family Says