On September 3, 2008, the Sikh Coalition, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and a host of elected officials announced a historic new Chancellor's Regulation that defines, tracks, and aims to prevent bias-based harassment for 1.1 million students in New York City public schools.
The Sikh community's central role in the new Regulation's creation was recognized by the New York, which covered the event in full force. The following is a sampling of the coverage:
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein announced new rules to stop bias-based bullying and harassment….. It's a response to three attacks on Sikh students at the end of last school year. All of them took place in Queens public schools. |
The new policy was formulated by Department of Education officials in consultation with the teachers' and principals' unions and organizations representing groups that have faced discrimination. It was prompted in part by bias incidents targeting Sikh students last school year |
So starting this year, parents will be able to go on the Department of Education Web site, look up their child's school, and find out how many bias incidents have been reported. Attacks in school on Sikh students were getting so bad in parts of Queens, specifically students getting their hair cut off, that the community held a protest rally. |
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The new regulation - which is intended to prevent bullying based on a student's ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability - comes two months after leaders of the Sikh population marched in Queens to protest attacks against Sikh students and what the leaders described as a lackluster response by the public school system. |
The new policy was formulated by Department of Education officials in consultation with the teachers' and principals' unions and organizations representing groups that have faced discrimination. It was prompted in part by bias incidents targeting Sikh students last school year. |
"The new regulation is groundbreaking movement in the right direction to rid our schools of bias-based bullying," said Sikh Coalition Executive Director, Amardeep Singh. "We look forward to partnering with Chancellor Klein to make the regulation's promise of city schools without bias and bigotry real for our children." |
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 The Sikh Coalition is a community-based organization that works towards the realization of civil and human rights for all people. 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. |
