Written by Don Byrd
The Department of Education this week delivered a letter to schools and universities across the country urging officials to be prepared for, and guard against, discrimination and mistreatment directed at religious and ethnic minorities.
It seems clear why the DOE may have felt compelled to take such action. The last several weeks has seen a notable increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric and even violence directed at Muslim-Americans. Political leaders and candidates have proposed outrageous, discriminatory policies regarding Muslim refugees, immigrants, and even American citizens who follow Islam. We should be proactive in trying to protect young people from the often ugly effects of those sentiments.
Here is an excerpt from the letter:
As we stand by our principles as a nation and continue to welcome refugees to our communities, we also must be vigilant about maintaining safe, respectful, and nondiscriminatory learning environments for all students in our schools and institutions. . . .
We support your efforts to ensure that young people are not subjected to discrimination or harassment based on race, religion, or national origin, particularly at this time when fear and anger are heightened, and when public debate sometimes results in the dissemination of misinformation. Such inappropriate conduct in schools can take many forms, from abusive name-calling to defamatory graffiti to physical violence directed at a student because of a student’s actual or perceived race or ancestry, the country the student’s family comes from, or the student’s religion or cultural traditions. If ignored, this kind of conduct can jeopardize students’ ability to learn, undermine their physical and emotional well-being, provoke retaliatory acts, and exacerbate community conflicts.
We cannot permit discrimination or harassment in schools against students based on their actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin. . . . In response to recent and ongoing issues, we also urge you to anticipate the potential challenges that may be faced by students who are especially at risk of harassment — including those who are, or are perceived to be, Syrian, Muslim, Middle Eastern, or Arab, as well as those who are Sikh, Jewish, or students of color. For example, classroom discussions and other school activities should be structured to help students grapple with current events and conflicting viewpoints in constructive ways, and not in ways that result in the targeting of particular students for harassment or blame.
In an effort to combat social division along religious lines, the Baptist Joint Committee has joined a campaign called Know Your Neighbor. That spirit of interfaith communication and respect for religious differences is needed in all areas of American life today, including in our schools. Kudos to the Education Department for communicating this need to our nation’s school officials.
