California school district sued over field trip to mosque where students allegedly donned Muslim garb

"The field-trip activities allegedly included observation of a Dhuhr prayer, discussion of the meaning of worship, and engagement with participants in the Noor Hifz Academy, the host institution's religious youth program in which Islamic students memorize the Quran," the complaint continued. "Female students were provided hijabs to wear and that all students were gifted Qurans to take home for personal use."

"In effect, kids are being told that if they are progressive and interested in social justice, Islam is the faith for them. That is not the business of a public school. It's not an issue of religion v. religion. It's an American one. The separation of church and state is a bedrock issue here," Rosenberg-Wohl said.

"Treating students' exposure to ordinary Muslim faith and practice as inherently coercive or threatening risks reinforcing the very Islamophobia and misunderstanding that that educational engagement should help overcome," the group told Fox News Digital.

Palo Alto Unified Superintendent Jason Glass informed Fox News Digital that he is reviewing the allegations but "will not comment further on pending litigation."

Though some parents were upset by the field trip, some students appeared to defend the outing, suggesting that the grievances were exaggerated.

Student newspaper "The Paly Voice" editor-in-chief Juni Thurston disputed claims that female students were forced to don hijabs and that students were indoctrinated with Islamic beliefs on these trips.

However, she acknowledged concerns over Billoo's presence on the field trip and agreed that she should not have been part of the experience, though her role was "limited."

In a comment to Fox News Digital, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Adam Goldstein said that if students were compelled to don religious garb, this would be in violation of the First Amendment.

"Just as the First Amendment prevents public schools from forcing students to pledge allegiance to the flag, it prevents those schools from compelling them to wear religious attire. If students were required to do that as part of a curricular field trip, it would conflict with the First Amendment's bar on compelled speech," Goldstein said.