November 29 2013
A Louisiana schoolboy has been arrested for setting his Muslim teacher’s headscarf on fire moments after she disciplined him for misbehaving in class.
The 14-year-old eighth grader, who has not been named, was in class at Westdale Middle School, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when the substitute teacher reprimanded him for causing trouble.
When she turned around to continue the class, the boy allegedly took out a lighter and set fire to her headscarf, which immediately sent the teacher and class into a panic. She managed to put the fire out quickly and only suffered minor burns that were treated at the school.
The boy was arrested, charged with aggravated battery and later expelled.
Some parents have vented their anger at not being told of the incident, which occurred October 4, for more than three weeks, some alleging a cover up. The local newspaper, The Advocate, first reported the incident last week.
“It’s unfortunate that one student out of the almost 1,200 at Westdale made a bad, bad choice and faces some pretty serious consequences,’ East Baton Rouge Parish [County] Superintendent Bernard Taylor told The Advocate. “But it doesn’t change the fact that Westdale is a fine school.”