ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — A routine high school course inquiry spiraled into a civil rights lawsuit after a Southern California teacher allegedly branded a 14-year-old Palestinian-American student a “terrorist”.
The legal battle, now involving 16-year-old Yousef Abdullah, centers on the Anaheim Union High School District and its handling of an incident that unfolded in February 2025 at Cypress High School. According to court documents, Abdullah—then a freshman—approached his English teacher to inquire about admission into the Advanced Placement (AP) English program after his application was rejected.
Instead of an academic explanation, the teacher allegedly responded in front of peers: “I don’t negotiate with terrorists, that is people under the age of 18.”
Dismissed as a “Joke”
The friction reportedly extended beyond the classroom. The lawsuit asserts that a school counselor subsequently repeated the inflammatory phrase to the teenager on multiple occasions, while an assistant principal minimized the remark, categorizing it as a harmless joke.
An internal district investigation later substantiated that a derogatory comment had occurred, concluding it breached school policy against abusive language. In a March 2025 correspondence, Human Resources Director Amie Maya indicated the matter would be routed through internal confidential channels. However, attorney Samer Habbas, representing the student, emphasized that no substantive disciplinary action or accountability followed.
A Deep Psychological Toll
The fallout extended to additional privacy violations. The complaint claims school staff improperly disclosed Abdullah’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis to classmates, leaving him vulnerable to targeted peer harassment, including being taunted as “SpEd”.
The cumulative environment profoundly impacted the teenager. Overwhelmed by anxiety and social withdrawal, Abdullah grew deeply ashamed of his cultural heritage. The complaint details how he began avoiding physical markers of his identity—such as growing facial hair—and grew reluctant to appear in public alongside his parents. He has since transferred to a different Orange County campus.
”When you’re calling a Palestinian child of Muslim descent a terrorist… it is completely inappropriate; it dehumanizes a kid,” Habbas stated.
Legal Hurdle Cleared
The litigation survived a preliminary dismissal attempt by district defense counsel. Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly A. Knill rejected the bid to throw out the case, allowing the lawsuit alleging discrimination, privacy breaches, and institutional failure to protect a minor to proceed toward trial.
District representatives have declined public comment regarding the ongoing active litigation.
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