Ahmed Mohamed’s School Is ‘Proud’ Of The Teacher Who Called The Cops About His Clock
Ahmed Mohamed's clock has gotten him props from everyone from President Obama, to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Pharrell Williams. But after the 14-year-old Muslim American Irving MacArthur High ninth grader got arrested for bringing in his homemade timepiece to school on Monday -- which his English teacher mistook for a bomb -- the teen said he's planning to change schools.
On Thursday, though, a MacArthur spokesperson said Mohamed is "certainly" welcome to come back. "We're confident that we can continue to provide him with an excellent education, but we want him to feel safe along with the other 2,800-plus students on campus," spokesperson Lesley Weaver told ABC News.
Weaver added that the Irving, Texas, community "seems to be standing behind us supporting us" and that officials at MacArthur aren't hearing "the complaints or crazy messages here in Irving." But the outrage over the incident and claims of Islamophobia have sparked an investigation by the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Dallas-Fort Worth chapter.
No charges were brought against Mohamed and despite the invite back to school, one of Weaver's other comments is likely to make the teen's family think twice before even considering a return to MacArthur. "We do stand behind what the teacher did," Weaver said of the unnamed instructor. "We believe she was acting in the best interest for the safety of all 2,800 students at MacArthur High School," he said.
"She followed the correct procedures. What the teacher was faced with was a beeping device, in a suitcase, in her class with wires and a timer," he said. "We are proud that that teacher reported something that she thought was suspicious and that was the device, not the student."
At a news conference on Wednesday, Ahmed and his family said they have no desire to meet with school officials to talk about the incident and that he has already decided to switch schools. At this point, Ahmed's three-day suspension has still not been lifted, even though authorities determined his invention was not a bomb. Weaver said Ahmed's parents have not responded to several requests for a meeting so far.
