CHISAGO LAKES, Minn. (AP) - A Muslim advocacy group says it welcomes the Minnesota Department of Education’s decision to investigate a school district’s anti-bullying policy after a student’s suicide earlier this year.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations requested the investigation after 15-year-old Jacob LeTourneau-Elsharkawy killed himself .
The teen was a freshman at Chisago Lakes High School. His mother, Faith Elsharkawy, has said she’s certain that bullying led her son to kill himself last April. CAIR’s state chapter alleges Jacob was bullied because he was Muslim and the school’s administration failed to take steps to protect the boy.
The school district disputes the group’s claims.
The Department of Education has the authority to investigate whether a school district has an anti-bullying policy that complies with state law, and whether that policy was followed.
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This story has been corrected to clarify that the Department of Education investigates anti-bullying policy issues, not suicides.
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