The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico is suing the state's largest school district over a 2018 incident where a teacher allegedly cut the hair of a Native American student during class on Halloween.
The teacher is also accused of asking another student if she was dressed as a “bloody Indian.”
The ACLU filed the complaint Wednesday.
It targets Albuquerque Public Schools, contending the teacher created a hostile learning environment and acted in a discriminatory way.
The school district at the time apologized and told parents that the teacher would not return to school.
School officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.