A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Muslim School Sues Over Pool Incident in Wilmington

official photo

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A Muslim school is suing the Delaware city where several children were asked to leave a public pool because of their cotton garments.

The News Journal reports the Darul Amaanah Academy says in the lawsuit filed Wednesday that city staff harassed and discriminated against seven children because of their religion.

Then-pool manager Glenda Pinkett said policy prohibits cotton in the pool, but Mayor Mike Purzycki later said no such restriction exists. The complaint said that despite discussion with city officials, the students were asked to leave the pool on several more occasions. After Purczycki issued an apology, the school says staffers closed the pool before students could go in.

The city has since reassigned Pinkett and pledged to establish clearer policies, but didn't respond to the newspaper's request for comment.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.