Continuing problems at Apollo and Technical high schools in St. Cloud prompted the organization to file the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, said Zahra Aljabri, assistant civil rights director for CAIR-MN. Muslim students at Owatonna High School also reported issues.
In one alleged incident at Apollo, students shoved pork bacon in the faces of two Muslim girls. Observant Muslims do not eat pork. Another situation involved a bus driver who left Muslim students waiting at a bus stop several times, saying, "Catch me if you can," while driving past them.
Aljabri said CAIR-MN has worked with the school district, but the group feels the district needs help strengthening policies so it can better discipline students and staff for harassment.
"The school has been trying their best to address the issue, but the incidents just keep increasing," Aljabri said. "The underlying theme is that this seems to be a problem in the St. Cloud community in general. It just manifests itself in school."
The organization claims Muslim students in St. Cloud have also been called "towel head" and other religious and racial slurs. Students say one teacher handed white students air freshener to spray when Somali students walked into the room.
When students complain about the treatment to school administrators, Aljabri said they say administrators have failed to effectively respond to the harassment and often the abuse gets worse.
Nimo Warfa, a junior at Apollo, agrees.
The 17-year-old said one student continually harassed her — throwing food at her and other Somali girls at lunch, calling her a "towel head" and yelling, "Allah sucks! Allah sucks!" A group of girls tried to physically attack her four times, but other students or security guards stepped in. Other students have told her they want to shoot her.
But administrators have done nothing, she said.
"When I was younger, I used to enjoy going to school. I was excited," Warfa said. "Now, sometimes I fake that I'm sick because I'm scared to go to school. But my parents keep encouraging me to go."
St. Cloud Superintendent Steve Jordahl said when any allegations of harassment are reported, they are investigated thoroughly. Administrators have been aware of some of the incidents where students have made disparaging remarks and dealt out appropriate discipline, he said.
Jordahl said others, specifically those involving teachers, have not been brought to the administration's attention and will be investigated.
The school district has worked closely with the local Somali community to address these issues, and Jordahl said he believes the complaints were filed to get the district the additional help it needs to fix the problems. About 10 percent of the district's 10,000 students are Somali.
"We really want to do anything we can to create the best relationships possible for all of our students, because we know that if we do that, students are successful in school," Jordahl said. "I really see the community and schools trying to get better."
St. Cloud has seen a string of anti-Muslim incidents, including a recent news story about a Facebook group called "I hate the Somalians at Tech High." The group was removed from the site.
CAIR-MN is asking the federal Education Department to aggressively implement racial and religious harassment policies and procedures in schools; discipline students, staff and administrators who engage in bias-motivated behavior; and provide peer mediation and diversity training for staff to create a safe learning environment.
Megan Boldt can be reached at 651-228-5495.