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Now in cyberspace: Khalsa Kids to
help fight bullying in school
WSN Network
New
York: In
another first for the Sikh community, the Sikh Coalition has
launched Khalsa Kids, a website dedicated exclusively to helping
Sikh students fight school bullying. The website is designed as an
interactive resource tool, featuring a discussion forum, videos, and
downloadable presentations. Parents and teachers can also use the
website's sample lesson plans and games to teach others about Sikhs.
Khalsa Kids is
part of the Sikh Coalition's response to a hate crime committed
earlier this year against a Sikh student in Queens, New York. Harpal
Singh Vacher's attackers, fellow high school students, forcibly
removed his turban and cut his hair in a school bathroom. Harpal has
since transferred schools in order to ensure his own safety.
Shortly after
the attack, the Sikh Coalition issued its first ever civil rights
report - Hatred in the Hallways - on the problems Sikh children face
in school everyday. The report, based on a survey of New York City
Sikhs, revealed that nearly 75% of Sikh boys in Queens
are harassed or intimidated because of their religion. People call
them "Osama bin Laden" or "terrorists," often threatening or
physically harassing them as well. Khalsa Kids is a way for kids to
feel proud of their identity and to give them the tools to combat
bias in school.
The Sikh
Coalition has also been working with the Department of Education
over the past few months to make New York City
schools safer for Sikhs. On September 25, 2007, Schools Chancellor
Joel Klein sent a letter to all school principals in New York City
stressing the importance of diversity in our schools, and pointing
to Harpal's attack as a cautionary example. Chancellor Klein has
also pledged to provide a Punjabi-language fact sheet for Sikh
students and parents, telling them what they can do if they are
being harassed in school. The fact sheet, along with state-specific
know your rights packets, will be available for download on the
Khalsa Kids website.
For more
information, check out
www.khalsakids.org.
3
October, 2007
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