[TAKE ACTION] Combat Bullying Against Sikh Youth

September 5, 2024 (Nationwide) — As students go back to school, the Sikh Coalition continues to take action on the recommendations laid out in Where Are You Really From?: A National Sikh School Climate Report.  Now, we urge sangat members to join us in speaking up at the local, state, and/or federal levels for safer and more inclusive schools. 

By way of reminder, the Sikh Coalition launched Where Are You Really From? in April 2024, with findings based on the results of a survey completed by more than 2,000 U.S.-based Sikh students ages 9 to 18. The report found eight in ten (78 percent) Sikh students reported experiencing at least one incident that qualifies as bullying at school. More troubling, almost half (46 percent) of those students said that they have “never” or “almost never” reported a bullying incident and that 63 percent said that bullying in the presence of school staff went unaddressed. 

The findings of our report can’t be clearer: It is essential that we do more to make sure our youth feel safe and seen in their schools. Accordingly, to mark the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, we have created a wide range of ways that students, parents, and sangat members can help advocate towards this goal! 

Get Involved at the Federal Level: Support the Safe Schools Improvement Act

The Sikh Coalition is supporting the passage of the Safe Schools Improvement Act (S.3105/H.R.6031). This bipartisan legislation requires school districts in states that receive Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds to adopt codes of conduct to specifically prohibit bullying and harassment, including on the basis of religion and other protected classes; it also requires that states report data on bullying and harassment to the Department of Education to better address bullying. The Safe Schools Improvement Act is a key recommendation included in WAYRF. 

To take action on this piece of federal legislation, simply click here and fill in your information to send a pre-written letter to your elected officials in the House of Representatives and Senate either thanking them for supporting this bill or urging them to do so. 

Get Involved at the State Level: Contact Your State Elected Officials about an Anti-Bullying Task Force 

Per the Sikh Coalition’s research, 48 of our nation’s 50 states do not have a current statewide task force to combat bullying. The Sikh Coalition believes task forces that are appropriately inclusive of students, parents, educators, administrators, scholars, and others from different backgrounds and communities can perform essential services like ensuring that state’s anti-bullying laws are modern and comprehensive, auditing how those laws are being implemented at the city and school-district levels, and identifying or even creating resources that can help prevent bullying. In summary, they are ‘shortcut’ to ensuring that many of the state-level recommendations included in WAYRF can be more easily implemented.

Learn if your state has an anti-bullying task force here via our clickable map tool. Your state page will provide you with an advocacy tool that allows you to send a pre-written and tailored letter to your state legislators about this issue; it will also show you other information about the Sikh Coalition’s education work in your state.

Get Involved at the Local Level: Speak at Your School Board Meeting

The Sikh Coalition encourages sangat members who wish to get involved at the local level to share insights and recommendations from WAYRF directly with their local school boards and elected officials. So much about our children’s education and school policies is determined at the local level, and there is no better way to make your voice heard than speaking up in public forums and making sure our community is seen by those who have the power to effect policy change.

As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.