Muslim prayer lawsuit against trenton schools dismissed on constutional grounds

A federal court ruled a parent failed to show that Trenton school officials violated his constitutional rights after denying a request for weekly early dismissal for religious services.

Trenton, NJ – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Trenton father who claimed school officials violated his religious rights by refusing to allow his son to leave school early each Friday for Muslim prayer services.

In a memorandum opinion issued in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Judge Georgette Castner granted a motion to dismiss filed by the Trenton Board of Education and several school officials, including general counsel James Rolle Jr., school principal Nadia Ramcharan, and vice principal Aaron Brooks.

Key Points

• Federal judge dismissed lawsuit over request to remove student from school for Friday Muslim prayers
• Parent claimed the Trenton Board of Education violated his constitutional rights
• Court ruled the complaint failed to state a valid legal claim

Dispute began during the 2024–2025 school year

The lawsuit was filed by Rashon Sapp, who shares joint legal custody of his son, a fourth-grade student at Thomas Jefferson Intermediate School in Trenton.

According to the complaint, Sapp asked the school to allow him to pick up his son around noon each Friday so the child could attend weekly Muslim prayer services. The father said Friday is considered a “Day of Assembly” in Islam when believers gather for sermon and prayer.

School officials initially allowed Sapp to pick up the child early on two Fridays without objection. However, administrators later denied the request after the child’s mother provided documents indicating a different parenting schedule.

Conflict escalated with school administrators

Sapp alleged that after presenting a court order showing he had parenting time on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, school officials still refused to allow the early dismissal. According to the complaint, the school principal suggested the student could pray while remaining at school and expressed concern that leaving early every week would cause the child to miss too much class time.

The dispute escalated when Sapp filed a complaint with the New Jersey Department of Education and later filed lawsuits in state and federal court.

The complaint also alleged that the student was suspended shortly afterward and that school staff contacted the child’s mother to pick him up instead of the father.

Court reviews case despite lack of opposition

The defendants filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the complaint did not establish that the school district violated any constitutional or statutory rights.

Although the motion went unopposed, the court reviewed the legal arguments before issuing a decision. Federal courts generally cannot grant dismissal solely because a plaintiff fails to respond.

Judge Castner concluded that the complaint did not contain sufficient factual allegations to support the legal claims raised against the school district and its officials.

Plaintiff previously subject to court filing restrictions

Court records also noted that Sapp had previously been subject to a filing restriction in the District of New Jersey due to what another judge described as a history of “continuous, repetitious, and vexatious lawsuits.”

The court ultimately granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the case.

Related: trenton nj, federal court, trenton board of education

Federal Court

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