NEW YORK -- An educator who help found New York City's first Arabic-themed public school and resigned as its principal after defending the use of "intifada" on a T-shirt will not be rehired, school officials said Thursday.
David Cantor, a spokesman for Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, said Debbie Almontaser will not be renamed principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn.
In August, Cantor said, "She resigned to ensure the stability of the school. The chancellor agreed with her decision ... and now considers the matter closed."
Almontaser had applied for the job along with 24 others before the application deadline on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
The former principal, who remains an employee of the Department of Education, held a news conference Tuesday -- her first comments since her resignation.
She said the Bloomberg administration had forced her to leave by threatening to close the school if she did not. Education department officials denied her assertion.
Earlier this week, Almontaser met with an official from the chancellor's office, but Cantor did not reveal the person's name or what was discussed.
A longtime New York City educator and a Muslim of Yemeni descent, she said that as the person who envisioned the school, "I believe I am the person most qualified to be its educational leader."
A message left for her representative was not immediately returned on Thursday.
The academy, named for the Lebanese Christian poet and peace advocate, has a focus on Arabic and Arab culture.
The school is starting with sixth-graders and will expand with one additional class every year to end up with 500 to 600 students in grades 6 through 12. It joins a number of small public schools in the city that are themed, covering areas from the arts to social justice to Chinese language.
Protests arose almost immediately after plans were announced in February to open the Arabic-themed school.
Almontaser has said she feels she has been the victim of injustice and claimed there has been a "vile and hateful attack" on New York City's Arab and Muslim communities since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Almontaser left in August after she was criticized for not explicitly condemning the use of the word "intifada" on T-shirts made by a youth organization. Intifada is an Arabic term commonly used to refer to the Palestinian uprising against Israel.
Danielle Salzberg, a Jewish woman who does not speak Arabic, was named the interim principal of the Khalil Gibran school after Almontaser stepped down.