1 Stopbullying.gov: Facts About Bullying: http://www.stopbullying.gov/news/media/facts/#stats;School Bullying Statistics: http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/school-bullying-statistics.html

2 Student Victimization in Schools, Results From the 2009 School Crime Supplement to theNational Crime Victimization Survey, November 2011: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012314.pdf

3 Go Home, Terrorist”: A Report on Bullying Against Sikh American Schoolchildren,http://sikhcoalition.org/documents/pdf/go-home-terrorist.pdf

4 Firsthand account of anti-Semitic bullying: http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/71637/anti-semitism-hits-home-with-cyberbullying-attack-in-napa. Institute for Jewish and Community Research, http://jewishresearch.org/quad/05-11/anti-semitism-initiative-blasts-religious-bullying.htm

Nationwide, we are facing an epidemic. Between a quarter and a third of studentsreport having been bullied at school, and one-quarter report being bullied on aregular basis. Bullying, which may take the form of physical assaults, verbal abuse,or cyberbullying, can lead to depression, anxiety, decreased ability to function atschool or elsewhere, and even suicide.

For students who are religious or ethnic minorities, the picture is even worse. A survey in California—generally one of themost liberal areas in the country—has found that between 50% and 70% of Muslim students were bullied. A similarsurvey of Sikh students in California found that 47% of Sikh youth and 69% of Sikh boys wearing turbans (as required bythe Sikh religion) were bullied. Statistics for bullying of Jewish children are not available, but anecdotal reports indicatethat anti-Semitic harassment in schools is far from dead. The U.S. Department of Education will begin collecting datafrom school districts about reported allegations of bullying based on religion duringthe 2015-2016 school year to help better capture the experiences of various schoolpopulations, including Sikh, Muslim, and Jewish students.

As an educator and school administrator for more than thirty years, I have seenfirsthand the impact of bullying on our nation’s education system. Educators play keyroles in managing the front lines of bullying; whether through helping students cope,addressing the situation, or by fostering a healthy and inclusive school environment.That is a huge responsibility we, as a community, place on our educators. In order forthem to be successful, we must equip them with the knowledge and tools to addressbullying. Education, including the creation of an environment open to religious andcultural diversity, can prevent religious- and ethnic-based bullying.

Please find in this brochure resources for your use from three respected organizations: Sikh Coalition, Jewish CommunityRelations Council-Silicon Valley, and the Islamic Networks Group (ING). These organizations, as you will read, havesuccessfully worked individually and collaboratively to reduce bullying in local area schools. It is important to realize thatschools are not alone in this fight. We need the joint forces of parents, educators, students, and community members to

effectively change the attitude in our nation. There is a long roadahead of us, but if we contribute and engage each other, we canmake a world of difference in eradicating bullying.

Congressman Mike Honda17th Congressional District

Bullying is a problem we must address—now. The lives of our youth are at stake.

A survey in California—generally one of the most

liberal areas in the country—has found that between

50 and 70 percent ofMuslim students haveexperienced bullying.

Print brochure at this URL: http://www.ing.org/bullying-prevention

The Sikh Coalition has offices in California, New York, and Washington, D.C. andconducts bullying prevention seminars across the nation. The Sikh Coalition offersresources for educators, students, and community members to prevent bullyingwithin educational institutions. November is Sikh Awareness month in California,thus providing a great opportunity for many of these resources to be utilized inschools across the state.

Educators:• Bullying prevention seminars conducted by Sikh Coalition

staff and/or volunteers which informs administrators aboutthe Sikh faith and bullying issues.

• Bullying prevention fact patterns for classroom discussion• Sikh Awareness posters and materials for

posting in school libraries, etc.

Students:• Bullying prevention seminars conducted by

Sikh Coalition staff and/or volunteers whichinforms students about the Sikh faith andbullying issues.

• Books and supporting materials specificallycreated for students to encourage discussionof Sikhs and appreciation for diversity.

• Resources created by the Jr. Sikh Coalitionfor students to empower themselves and getinvolved in bullying prevention issues.

Community:• Bullying prevention seminars conducted by

Sikh Coalition staff and/or volunteers whichinforms the community at large about theSikh faith and bullying issues.

• Khalsa Kids Empowerment Workshop: empowering Sikhyouth to discuss bullying issues and learn about their rights.

Legal:• Obtained the first Department of Justice settlement on

behalf of a Sikh student who was bullied in school(http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/85920135716465774430.pdf )(http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/press-releases/attachments/2014/11/18/dekalb_settlement_agreement.pdf )

California Based Reports:• “Go Home Terrorist,” – A Report on Bullying

Against Sikh American School Children (a national report on the endemic bullying ofSikh school children in America in which itwas discovered that the majority of Sikhchildren, just over 50%, endure schoolbullying).

• “Bay Area Report: 2010 Bay Area Civil RightsReport” (surveys of over 500 Sikh childrenfrom across the Bay Area revealed that 74%of turbaned boys suffer bias-basedharassment and 76% of Sikh youth believe itwould be helpful if someone spoke aboutSikhism in their schools).

For more information on any of the resourcesabove, please visit http://www.sikhcoalition.org/endschoolbullying orplease contact Harjit Kaur, the Sikh Coalition’s CommunityDevelopment Manager, at harjit@sikhcoalition.org or510.598.7498.

http://www.sikhcoalition.org

The Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley is anonprofit organizationthat brings togetherpeople, partners andresources to fulfill themost important needsand aspirations of theSilicon Valley Jewishcommunity.

The Federation’s work includes the Community RelationsCouncil (CRC), a committee focused on promoting civildialogue and cooperation across racial, ethnic and religiouslines. The CRC representatives from 12 Silicon Valley Jewishinstitutions from synagogues to a secular high-tech group �bring Jewish values to community-wide, collaborative initia -tives that foster our democratic and pluralistic society.These initiatives include current topics in immigration,poverty, education, the environment and civil rights. Includedin CRC’s civil rights work, the committee connects schools,

nonprofits and government institutions to resources thathelp protect against discrimination, including bullying.

Assistance includes:• Problem solving and strategic solutions

for issues on campuses

• Helping educators to teach appreciation of cultural diversity

• Connecting institutions with curricular and training resources

CRC collaborates with the Institute for Curriculum Services(ICS), a national resource center for accurate Jewish contentin schools. This K-12 curricular resource packet,http://www.icsresources.org/content/curricula/JResourcePacket.pdf, coversbasic Jewish beliefs, common misperceptions, anti-Semitism, and guidelines for teachers. Incorporation of thesematerials provides a foundation of understanding that canprevent future intolerance and bullying of Jewish students.

continued on next page

www.jvalley.org/JCRC

Print brochure at this URL: http://www.ing.org/bullying-prevention

The Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley continued

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a leading provider ofanti-bias training and resources, and offers A World ofDifference Institute to help schools develop a comprehen -sive approach to prevent and intervene against name-calling, bullying and cyber bullying. These interactiveworkshops and assembly programs for elementary, middleand high schools are available for both educators andstudents. Workshop details are found here:http://www.adl.org/education-outreach/anti-bias-education/c/Bullying-and-Cyberbullying-Workshops.html#.VPDmDMs5A-c, and lessonschallenging anti-Semitism can be found here:http://archive.adl.org/education/curriculum_connections/spring_2006/.

Based in San Jose, Islamic Networks Group (ING) is a non-profit organization with affiliates in 22 states thatcounters prejudice and discrimination against AmericanMuslims by teaching about their traditionsand contributions in the context ofAmerica's historyand culturaldiversity, whilebuildingrelationsbetweenAmericanMuslims andother groups.

ING offers several resources that cancontribute to bullying prevention.

ING Educator seminar:

Understanding Muslim Students: Fostering an Inclusive Environment

The ING cultural diversity seminar “Understanding MuslimStudents: Fostering an Inclusive Environment” equipsteachers and administrators with the understanding theyneed to provide an inclusive environment for students andparents of that faith; further information and a request form can be found at https://www.ing.org/overview/57-education-understanding-muslim-students-fostering-an-inclusive-environment.

ING Student presentations and panels thatsupplement content standards:ING provides students with a variety of presentationsabout Islam as well as interfaith panels on various topicscomprised of representatives of Buddhism, Christianity,Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam. All ING presenters areactive practitioners of the religions they speak about, thusproviding the face-to-face contact that is the mosteffective means of eliminating prejudice.

Presentation Topics about Muslims• Exploring Muslim Traditions and Practices• Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith• A History of Muslims in America• Muslim Contributions to Civilization• Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotype• Custom Presentations

To schedule a presentation, please visit:https://www.ing.org/schedule-a-school-presentation

Interfaith Panel Topics• Living the Faith• Shared Values Among Faiths• Jewish-Muslim Relations in the U.S. - Living in theShadow of the Middle East Conflict

• Religion and Extremism• Religion and Pluralism• Separation of Church and State• Religion and Environmental Concerns

To schedule an Interfaith Panel, please visit:https://www.ing.org/schedule-an-interfaith-panel

For additional information please visit our website:

http://www.ing.org

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Workingtogether, theSikh Coalition,JCRC and INGoffer jointpanels forstudents andteachers onbullyingprevention.

These panels, successfully presented lastyear at Independence High School in SanJose, give students an understanding ofthe Sikh, Jewish and Muslim cultures,dangers and consequences of bullyingand the importance of reporting it toresponsible adults. Their purpose is bothto discourage bullying and to prevent itfrom being passed over in silence when itdoes happen. The panels empowerstudents to respond firmly but peacefullyto instances of bullying and to work withteachers and school administrators tocreate a bullying-free campus. They alsoinclude time for questions and answersand for discussion, providing studentswith an opportunity to express theirconcerns about bullying they haveexperienced or witnessed and aboutways to prevent it.

Panels are available for assemblies only.To request a panel please write to Dr. Henry Millstein at Scheduler@ing.org

and/or Harjit Kaur at harjit@sikhcoalition.org

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