Multi-Faith Parents File Lawsuit Over Mosque Field Trip in Palo Alto

A group of parents from diverse religious backgrounds has filed a lawsuit against the Palo Alto Unified School District in California. The suit also targets the principal of Palo Alto High School, Brent Kline, in response to a field trip to a local mosque held last year.

According to the lawsuit filed on August 7, as part of the school’s Social Justice Pathway curriculum, students visited a mosque hosted by the Muslim Community Association. During the visit, students reportedly participated in religious activities and were encouraged to wear religious clothing without parental consent.

“During the Fall 2025 mosque visit, students who were minors allegedly were provided with Muslim religious attire and encouraged to wear it while on site,” the complaint stated. “During that visit, students allegedly were provided with Qurans and taught that Islam, in particular, promotes social justice.”

The lawsuit was filed by parents of Jewish, Hindu, and Zoroastrian faiths. It also claims that students interacted with Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who has faced allegations of antisemitic statements.

David Rosenberg-Wohl, the attorney representing the parents, stated that the core issue is the promotion of Islam by a public school through its Social Justice Pathway curriculum. He emphasized the importance of separation between church and state.

“In effect, kids are being told that if they are progressive and interested in social justice, Islam is the faith for them. That is not the business of a public school. It’s not an issue of religion v. religion. It’s an American one. The separation of church and state is a bedrock issue here,” Rosenberg-Wohl noted.

The Muslim Community Association responded to the lawsuit by expressing concern over accusations of coercive exposure to Muslim practices. They argue such claims contribute to ongoing Islamophobia that educational exposure aims to counter.

Palo Alto Unified Superintendent Jason Glass stated he is reviewing the allegations but would not comment on ongoing litigation. Despite parental concerns, some students defended the field trip, calling grievances exaggerated.

Juni Thurston, editor-in-chief of the student newspaper “The Paly Voice,” refuted claims of coerced hijab wearing and indoctrination. She acknowledged concerns regarding Billoo’s limited presence but defended the educators.

“The vast majority of the people demonizing the teachers who arranged and chaperoned this field trip simply don’t know them,” Thurston wrote in a campus newspaper op-ed. “The idea that they would be working to indoctrinate students into Islam, or any religion, is extremely foreign to me as a student who has had them as my teachers for the past two years.”

Adam Goldstein, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), commented on First Amendment concerns. He stated that compelling students to wear religious attire during a curricular activity would violate First Amendment rights.

“Just as the First Amendment prevents public schools from forcing students to pledge allegiance to the flag, it prevents those schools from compelling them to wear religious attire,” Goldstein remarked. “If students were required to do that as part of a curricular field trip, it would conflict with the First Amendment’s bar on compelled speech.”

Lindsay Kornick, associate editor for Fox News Digital, contributed to the original article. She can be reached for story tips at [email protected] and on Twitter: @lmkornick.