Article originally publsihed May 7, 2025 on nj.com

Link to Original Article by Collen Murphy

A federal appeals court dismissed a parent’s claim that her son’s middle school curriculum violated the Constitution by teaching about Islam.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld the constitutionality of a social studies curriculum that included instructional videos about Islam.

In its decision issued Monday, the court said that the Chatham School District’s curriculum does not show any signs of promoting a specific religion.

However, the attorney for the plaintiff, Chatham parent, Libby Hilsenrath, said he intends to appeal the ruling.

In 2018, Hilsenrath filed the lawsuit on behalf of her son, a then 7th grader at Chatham Middle School.

Her complaint named the Chatham School District and several school officials and teachers.

Hilsenrath argued that the inclusion of instructional videos about Islam in a World Cultures and Geography class violated the establishment clause of the first amendment, claiming it amounted to religious indoctrination and coercion.

The school district defended the curriculum, explaining that it covered various world religions, including Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

The district said that their aim was to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of global cultures and beliefs, as required by state standards.

They also explained that the videos were meant to educate students about the basics of Islam and noted that the videos were provided to students, but not shown in class or required to be watched by students.

Attorney Ruby Kumar-Thompson of Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri Jacobs in Oakland, who represented the school district, said she believes this is the first decision of its kind in any circuit court across the nation.

“It provides significant guidance to schools in allowing them academic freedom to include religion as a part of a broader academic study,” Kumar-Thompson said.

The court underscored that its role is limited to upholding constitutional rights, without expressing any opinions on the curriculum itself.