For Immediate Release The Academy of Excellence Denies the Allegations of Discrimination Made by the ACLU The Academy of Excellence Charter School Governing Board and Administration ("AOE") refutes the allegations contained in two letters from the ACLU. Those letters, both of which are dated October 28, 2016, are devoid of any evidence and contain false and unsubstantiated allegations. AOE conducted an internal investigation on January 25, 2016. That investigation produced no evidence to support the claims now being made by Ms. Noor. Additionally, these allegations were investigated by the Phoenix Police Department. Ms. Noor first contacted the Phoenix Police on January 28, 2016, the day her children withdrew from AOE. At that time, her only complaint was that "she believed that her children were kicked out of our school due to their Muslim faith." AOE has many children who practice the Muslim faith. It was not until February 24, 2016, that Ms. Noor and her son made the allegation of "choking." This allegation was investigated by a Detective who found that, "At the conclusion of the investigation, a crime in this matter was unfounded. Both suspect and witnesses provided corroborating statements, and were not consistent with the victims' statement." This is the "cursory and inadequate" investigation the ACLU notes in the footnotes to its letters. Finally, if you compare the timing of events contained in the ACLU's letters and the statements made to the Police by Ms. Noor and her son, they are completely different. The difference between the statements calls into question the motive of the speaker. AOE’s first contact from the ACLU sought a substantial monetary payment. A copy of the complete report from the Phoenix Police Department is attached. The Governing Board Members and School Administrators request that all inquiry regarding this matter be address to: Lonnie J. Williams, Jr. Partner Stinson Leonard Street LLP 1850 N. Central Avenue, Suite 2100 Phoenix, AZ 85004-4584 T: 602.212.8505 F: 602.586.5272 lonnie.williams@stinson.com www.stinson.com CORE/0832451.0003/129702987.1