'I don’t negotiate with terrorists'- US school district faces lawsuit over teacher's remark to student

A 16-year-old Palestinian American student is suing Anaheim Union High School District after a teacher allegedly called him a “terrorist". The student reportedly approached school administrators; they dismissed the remark as a joke. The boy reportedly became so traumatised he wanted to change his name to a less Arabic name. Abdullah has since transferred to another high school in Orange County.

The student, Yousef Abdullah, was a 14-year-old freshman at Cypress High School in February 2025. According to his lawsuit, he asked his English teacher why he hadn't been admitted to Advanced Placement English. The teacher allegedly answered in front of the class, “I don’t negotiate with terrorists; that is people under the age of 18.”

Also Read: Indian student sentenced to 30 years in UK for online grooming of over 70 children

The suit says Abdullah then reported the comment to a school counsellor. The counsellor allegedly questioned him about his family, repeated the line, and described it as a joke from a movie. An assistant principal allegedly told him it was a phrase and had not been directed at him. According to a letter cited in the case, the assistant principal also acknowledged the comment was inappropriate while still calling it a joke.

The lawsuit claims the remark subjected Abdullah to severe trauma; he wanted to go by “Joseph,” a less Arabic-sounding name.

“When you’re calling a Palestinian child of Muslim descent a terrorist … it is completely inappropriate; it dehumanises a kid,” said Sameer Habbas told the Orange County Register Thursday.

Habbas pointed to a January 2025 Pennsylvania case in which a middle school teacher resigned after making a nearly identical remark to a student who asked to change seats.
The suit was filed in January. Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly A. Knill recently rejected the district's attempt to have it dismissed, so the case continues. The district declined to comment on the litigation.