The San Diego Unified School District’s multiyear plan includes a letter addressing Islamophobia to staff and parents of its 132,000 students. It’s expected to be drafted and sent before Ramadan begins in late May. The district is also reviewing internal staff calendars to make sure Muslim holidays are recognized, NewsNeck reported.
Next school year,
it will review materials on Muslim culture for libraries, provide resources to
teachers and engage in partnerships with the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR). Over several years, it plans to consider high school clubs
that promote American Muslim culture, create "safe spaces” for students and
train staff about Muslim culture.
The plan drew
little attention when the board approved it 4-0 on April 4, with one member
absent. Public comments from staff and community members were uniformly
positive.
"We believe this is
a great first step in the direction of protecting Muslim students from the
bullying that is a direct result of the growing Islamophobia in our state and
nation,” Hanif Mohebi, executive director of CAIR-San Diego chapter, said after
the vote. "Other school districts should follow this lead, and we will be happy
to work with them to provide resources and training.”
Pushback gradually
spread on the internet and social media, with written attacks on Islam and
CAIR. A Sunday article on the far-right website Breitbart News drew hundreds of
reader comments. The school district said on its website that the plan
addresses "some of the specific challenges faced by the Muslim student
community” after the Muslim community expressed concern about student safety
last summer. "We strongly believe students cannot learn if they are afraid, and
so this initiative to combat Islamophobia is focused on eliminating the fear
faced by children,” it says.
The district said
it is not endorsing Islam, favoring a religion or imposing Sharia law.
As for `safe
spaces,’ the district says, "Schools with large Muslim communities may choose
to make areas available for prayer if that is requested by their parents and
students.
However, this is no
more or less than we would do to accommodate Christians who want to pray at
school or members of other faiths. It is not uncommon, for example, for our
schools to have a prayer club that meets before the start of school.”
San Diego is the
latest school district to express solidarity with Muslim students. In
September, Kansas City Public Schools passed a resolution condemning violence
and hated speech and expressing support for students who worship Islam. The
Oakland Unified School District in California said in a board resolution in
November, "The 2016 presidential election has created an atmosphere of fear
among immigrants, Muslims and other vulnerable groups in Oakland.”