(MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 10/28/2011) -- The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today welcomed a federal agreement to deal with the bias-motivated harassment of Muslim students in the St. Cloud School District.
According to the agreement, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) will monitor the school district for three years -- among 16 other mandates -- and can take further action if it finds that the school district is not in compliance.
The DOE and St. Cloud School District entered into a Section 302 DOE OCR Resolution Agreement in which a complaint “may be resolved at any time when, before the conclusion of an investigation, the recipient expresses an interest in resolving the complaint.”
SEE: Section 302 DOE OCR Agreement Policy
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/ocrcpm.html
SEE ALSO: St. Cloud School Board Approves Discrimination deal 5-1
In March 2010, CAIR-MN asked the DOE to investigate and address reports of growing racial and religious tensions in St. Cloud public high schools. The DOE accepted the discrimination complaint two months later.
CAIR-MN's request for DOE intervention came following the school administration's failure to adequately respond to a series of anti-Muslim incidents reported to the civil rights organization by students. Muslim students were allegedly called "towel head" and other religious and racial slurs and faced harassment for their religious beliefs by other students and teachers.
Some alleged incidents included:
* Two students approached a group of Muslim high school girls and asked them if they would like some pork bacon. When the girls informed them that their religion prohibited pork, the students made disparaging remarks about their religion. A week later, the two students brought pork bacon to school and shoved it in the faces of Muslim students and chased after them when they tried to get away;
- A bus driver left Muslim students waiting at a bus stop on several occasions, driving past them when she saw them and telling them: "Catch me if you can;”
- A World History teacher made disparaging comments about Islam and Muslims in class;
- A teacher, on several occasions, handed students a can of air freshener and instructed them to spray the room when Muslim students walked into class.
SEE: CAIR-MN Asks DOE to Address Racial Tensions in Minn. Schools
The school district’s internal investigation, initiated after the DOE complaint, confirmed many of the incidents. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination by recipients of Federal financial assistance.
The settlement agreement outlines 16 action items and calls on the school district to “take all steps necessary to ensure that students enrolled in the District are not subjected to a hostile environment on the basis of race, color, or national origin.”
The district is required to:
- Promptly investigate all incidents of harassment;
- Take appropriate disciplinary action against students who violate policies;
- Review and revise anti-harassment policies, student code of conduct and employee personnel policies;
- Provide anti-harassment training to teachers, administrators and school staff;
- Invite all enrolled high school Somali students to meet to discuss any concerns about harassment;
- Maintain a student committee at each high school to provide a forum for students to improve cultural awareness;
- Establish a working group of District personnel, community representatives, parents and students;
- Provide age-appropriate orientation programs for all students which will address harassment;
- Establish a cabinet-level monitoring program to assess anti-harassment efforts and provide a series of monitoring reports regarding the action steps;\
- Provide regular documentation and reports to DOE.
“This is a big victory for St. Cloud students, as well as all students who endure a hostile school environment and dismissive administrators,” said CAIR-MN Civil Rights Director Taneeza Islam.
Ms. Islam thanked the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights for their 20-month investigation and commitment to creating a safe, harassment-free learning environment for all students.
CAIR offers an educational toolkit, called "An Educator's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices," designed to help school officials provide a positive learning environment for students of all faiths.
SEE: An Educator's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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CONTACT: CAIR-MN Civil Rights Director Taneeza Islam, Esq., 612-367-6024, E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; CAIR-MN President Lori Saroya, 612-327-6700, E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
