Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy Counterclaims Against ACLU

In Minneapolis (MN) yesterday, the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, a charter school being sued for promoting Islam, filed a counterclaim against the ACLU. Last week, a federal district court upheld the ACLU's standing to bring an Establishment Clause claim against the school. (See prior posting.) Now, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, TiZA claims that the ACLU has injured its reputation by calling it "theocratic," and has hurt its ability to hire qualified teachers. Ten applicants withdrew from consideration and the school has unfilled positions. The pleadings also claim that the ACLU's lawsuit damaged the school's learning environment and caused several students to withdraw. TiZA is seeking damages totaling $100,000.