Story highlights A Connecticut middle school cancels an Islamic presentation after threatening comments

The school also canceled a future talk about Judaism that was a part of its world religions series

(CNN) What was intended to be an educational presentation about Islam turned into a controversy when threatening comments prompted school officials to cancel the event.

A teacher at Northeast Middle School in Bristol, Connecticut, invited a Muslim woman to speak this month to her social studies class about Islam, as part of the school's curriculum covering world religions.

Safety concerns for the school's students and faculty arose after angry comments surfaced on social media and complaints were filed to the Bristol Public Schools superintendent. The school decided to cancel the event.

The teacher sent a letter to parents saying a local Muslim woman, who is originally from New York, would be giving a presentation about her faith. The speaker started the organization YUSRA, which is aimed at empowering Muslim women.

According to the letter, the mission of the organization "is to train Muslim women to inform others about the Islamic faith and dispel misconceptions that are prevalent in today's society."

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