NY high school student sues drict for painting over her pro-Palestinian parking spot design | World News

A New York student is suing after high school officials painted over a parking spot that she had decorated with a watermelon slice — a symbol of support for Palestinians.
The lawsuit filed this month in Brooklyn’s federal court argues that the Half Hollow Hills Central School Drict violated the student’s free speech rights and inflicted emotional trauma on her when it painted over her design in September, just days into the new school year.
The student, who is identified in the suit the pseudonym Jane Khan, had joined other classmates in decorating her parking spot — an annual tradition at Half Hollow Hills High School West — located on Long Island.
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The senior painted a watermelon slice featuring a keffiyeh scarf-like pattern, followed the phrase “Peace Be Upon You” and her name written in Arabic. The student is described as a Muslim American of Pakani descent.
“Ms Khan’s inclusion of the watermelon with a keffiyeh design was an expression of her solidarity with Palestinians — something she feels arises in part from her Muslim identity and Pakani heritage,” the suit explained.
The watermelon has long been a symbol of Palestinian solidarity as it contains the red, white and green colours of the Palestinian flag, which was banned Israel in 1967, according to the lawsuit.
The suit, which seeks an unspecified amount of monetary damages, maintains the school erased the student’s decoration after the principal “interrogated” and “threatened” her in a closed office meeting and with “no meaningful dialogue” with her parents, other students or members of the Asian and Muslim communities.Story continues below this ad
The student’s lawyer provided a copy of the lawsuit but declined to comment further.
Drict officials didn’t respond to emails seeking comment on Monday. They had said in September that the artwork was painted over to maintain neutrality on controversial political matters.
The suit, however, notes that the parking spot decorating tradition embraced differing viewpoints in the past.
Students over the years have painted the LGBTQIA pride flag, a “Black Lives Matter” f — even depictions of a donkey and an elephant, the symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties, according to the lawsuit.Story continues below this ad
“The whitewash of Plaintiff’s pro-Palestinian speech was not to prevent substantial disruption of any school activity or threatened harm to the rights of others, as Half Hollow permitted and even amplified speech on other equally, even more, controversial issues,” the lawsuit states.