Neutrality, not hostility
We are not against religion, and this is not a case against Islam. Islam is an important and dynamic faith with deep cultural significance and history. The objection is to a government body promoting any one faith.
CMRN-SFBA · A Bay Area parent, student & community coalition
Public schools may teach about religion. They may not promote one.
Our members are plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit alleging that the Palo Alto Unified School District crossed that line — taking students on a school-sponsored mosque visit where, the complaint alleges, they were given religious attire and Qurans, observed prayer, and were taught that Islam is the faith uniquely aligned with social justice.
CMRN-SFBA, et al. v. Palo Alto Unified School District, Brent Kline, et al., No. 5:26-cv-08249-VKD (N.D. Cal., filed Aug. 7, 2026)
What is at stake
Studying a religion is not practicing one
A public school can and should teach comparative religion and religion in social context. Instructing students in religious practice and encouraging religious participation is a different thing.
Every faith teaches social justice
Singling out one religion as the social justice faith puts a political patina on that faith and implies the excluded traditions are less suited to the moment.
Parents decide about religion
Parents consented to an academic field trip. The complaint alleges they never consented to their minor children being dressed in religious attire and photographed, with those images publicly posted.
This is an American issue, not a sectarian one
The plaintiffs are Jewish, Hindu, and Zoroastrian. Christian families have expressed interest and may join the case. What unites them is not a shared faith but a shared view: the State of California has no business promoting any particular one. Faith is a question for individuals and families, and both the federal and state constitutions insist on it.
The suit does not seek money from the district. It asks for a court order declaring that the district violated the law and directing that it not do so again.
Can I participate?
Yes. The coalition wants to add plaintiffs who reflect the breadth of the Bay Area community. You do not need to be a PAUSD parent, a public school parent, or religious at all — only a Bay Area resident who believes public schools should not favor a particular faith.