Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ABOUT SIKH AMERICANS
During and after the 2005 History-Social Science Primary Adoption, the California Department of Education (CDE) and State Board of Education (SBE) received extensive testimony from members of the Sikh community on how to better incorporate materials on Sikhs into the history-social science curriculum.
The Sikh population in California has some 50,000 members and includes large communities in the agricultural towns in the Central Valley. Members of the Sikh community have testified to the SBE that Sikhs have been targets of hate crimes, especially in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks, by Americans who mistakenly identify them as Arab or Muslim.
Various sections of the California Education Code (EC) protect students from discrimination or harassment based on nationality, race, ethnicity, or religion. The purpose of these EC sections is to ensure the right of all students in California public schools to participate fully in the educational process, as stated in EC sections 200 and 201. In addition, EC Section 220 specifically prohibits discrimination against students on the “basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation” in any school programs or activities.
The CDE provides guidance to local school districts on their duty to protect students in public schools from discrimination on its Duty to Protect Students Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/eo/dutytoprotect.asp. The Web page includes citations of additional EC sections that ensure access to quality education, which is a fundamental right of every student and is fully guaranteed and protected by the California Constitution.
Public Broadcasting station KVIE in Sacramento has produced a ViewFinder video entitled, “Sikhs in America.” The program and supporting short videos, photographs, and other resources are available at the KVIE ViewFinder: Sikhs in America Web page at http://www.kvie.org/programs/kvie/viewfinder/sikhs_in_america/default.htm (Outside Source). I encourage you to make use of the resources at the KVIE site to inform students about the roles and contributions of Sikhs to the history of California.
It is my hope that schools can use resources like these to help promote awareness of the diversity within their communities and help reduce incidents based on misunderstanding and intolerance.
If you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact Veronica Aguila, Administrator, Instructional Resources Unit, at 916-323-4867 or by e-mail at vaguila@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Tom Torlakson
TT:km
cc: Onkar Bindra, Sikh Temple Sacramento