Sikh Coalition and community organization representatives outside the Department of Education

(New York, NY) July 16, 2007 – The Sikh Coalition met with Chancellor Joel Klein today to discuss ways to make schools safe for Sikh children. As head of New York City’s Department of Education, the largest school system in the United States, Klein expressed his concern about bias incidents in schools and pledged to work with the Sikh Coalition on an ongoing basis.

Today’s meeting marked the first time Sikhs have been given a place at the table on the issue of education in New York’s schools. The meeting was prompted by the Sikh Coalition’s recently released report - “Hatred in the Hallways” – that documents incidents of harassment against Sikh schoolchildren throughout the city. In revealing that over 75% of Sikh boys in Queens are regularly harassed at school on account of their religion, the report highlighted serious shortcomings in the Department's ability to protect Sikh children from bias-based harassment.

To counter some of these problems, the Sikh Coalition has asked the Department of Education to implement a number of changes. These include issuing a letter from the Chancellor to all school principals asking them to pay close attention to incidents of bias-based harassment against Sikhs, ensuring that all school personnel know about the unique issues that Sikh students face on account of their appearance, and issuing a regulation that clearly sets out the Department of Education’s anti-harassment policy. In addition, the Sikh Coalition asked that students and parents be informed of how to report incidents of bias-based harassment to the Department of Education.

The Sikh Coalition, North America’s largest Sikh civil rights organization, was joined at the meeting by a wide range of community partners, including the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the American Jewish Committee, Coalition for Asian American Families and Children, the New York Immigration Coalition, and South Asian Youth Action. Their support is invaluable for this work, and brings strength to our argument that diversity in New York City’s schools should be a cause for celebration, not division.

The Sikh Coalition thanks Chancellor Klein for the meeting and looks forward to a productive working relationship with the Department. The Coalition calls on all Sikhs to stand up for their civil rights and fearlessly maintain their articles of faith. If you or anyone you know is a victim of discrimination, please report it as www.sikhcoalition.org/ListReports.asp.

Started as an effort to educate the greater North American community on Sikhs and Sikhism, the Sikh Coalition seeks to safeguard the civil and human rights of all citizens as well as to promote the Sikh identity and communicate the collective interests of Sikhs to civil society. The Coalition serves as a resource on Sikhs and Sikh concerns for governments, organizations and individuals.

The Sikh Coalition relies on your financial support to sustain its initiatives and broaden its services. In addition to supporting the Sikh Coalition directly, we encourage you to use matching donation programs offered by many employers. The Sikh Coalition is a 501c (3) non-profit organization. Thank you for your support.

Unsubscribe from the Sikh Coalition updates list.