June 18, 2008

Police arrested a school director in Alexandria for failing to report an allegation of child abuse.

The Islamic Saudi Academy, a private school funded by the Saudi government, already faced criticism. A Federal Commission claimed that the school's textbooks allegedly teach "violence and hate."

Police say the director of the Islamic Saudi Academy, Abdalla Al-Shabnan, didn't believe a five-year-old girl when the student told him her father was sexually abusing her.

According to court papers, Abdalla Al Shabnan did not report the incident, instead he allegedly told told the girl's parents to seek counseling for her. Virginia state law requires school officials to report allegations of abuse within 72 hours.

Al-Shabnan was arrested June 9th, and he is now out on bail.