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Muslim Students Return to Wilmington Pool After Clothing Controversy

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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A group of Muslim students have returned to a Delaware public pool a year after they were asked to leave because of their cotton garments.

The Wilmington News Journal reports the group went back to the Wilmington pool Thursday.

Darul-Amaanah Academy principal Tahsiyn Ismaa'eel says the place "felt like home again."

The city earlier this year settled with the school and families for $50,000. It didn't admit wrongdoing but agreed to revise regulations to "expressly accommodate clothing worn for religious reasons or financial hardship."

The school argued city staff discriminated against seven children because of their religion. The then-pool manager said policy prohibited cotton in the pool, but Mayor Mike Purczycki said no such restriction existed.

After Purczycki apologized, the school said staffers closed the pool before students could go in.

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.