Hindu American Foundation
By Kavita Pallod
When the parents of two young Hindu American boys contacted community leaders for help in getting answers from school authorities about the incessant bullying their children were facing at their Humble district school, the Hindu community rallied quickly to support the family and help find solutions to prevent such suffering from occurring in the future. The young boys were shoved, called names, and threatened for months on end in spite of the children’s parents filing complaints and meeting with school officials. One was beaten up, and then held down while a gang of boys partially shaved off his eyebrow. The other was taunted as “a terrorist.” After a social studies lesson developed independently by their teacher suggested that pollution in the Ganges River, a river considered holy by Hindus, resulted in birth defects, classmates doubled their efforts in teasing both boys further, taunting them about having birth defects because they were Hindu.
After being alerted to the situation, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) immediately began working with the Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) to write a coalition letter to the Humble Independent School District (Humble ISD) — some 17 Houston-based Hindu and Indian organizations joined the cause. This began a dialogue between the district’s leadership and the Hindu American community. The Hindu community attended the school board meeting to express their concerns about the situation and found the Board receptive to their grievances. However, the superintendent of Humble ISD chose not to have a separate meeting with HAF and HGH representatives to address the situation.
“We learned some valuable lessons through the process of engaging Humble ISD,” said Dev Mahajan, Chairman, Advisory Board, HGH. “We learned the importance of knowing the formal complaint process, how language, tone, and timing play a really important role in getting results, and perhaps the most important lesson – the need for our community to come together and organize formally to advocate for our needs in the way Jewish organizations have through Jewish Federations in local communities across the nation.”
HAF and HGH also engaged the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to talk with Humble ISD. What was initially to be an intimate face to face conversation, became a fruitful meeting of nine leaders from the Houston Hindu community and ADL staff and leadership.
The ADL has a number of programs and resources targeted at helping schools combat bullying, including an initiative called No Place for Hate. ADL worked with Humble ISD as they agreed to adopt the No Place for Hate program to begin training their teachers. An administrator from Humble ISD attended ADL’s No Place for Hate Summer Institute for Educators, where they were asked to attend a session that encouraged schools to create a coalition of students, faculty members, and parents/family. The session also encouraged schools to sign the ADL’s Resolution of Respect and implement anti-bias activities to demonstrate and create an appreciation of and respect for diversity. Humble ISD implemented the educational programs, and in 2013, thirty schools earned the No Place for Hate designation by fully applying the ADL’s No Place for Hate Initiative.
HAF also created a short guide to empower parents in Humble ISD to understanding the grievance procedures in the district. It will be hosted on the Hindus of Greater Houston website. HAF is creating similar guides for other school districts in the Houston area as well. HAF will also continue to work with the ADL to ensure that the training resources provided to teachers include ways to recognize anti-Hindu bullying specifically.
“Complaint and appeals procedures can be difficult to find in the volumes and volumes of district policies,” said Rishi Bhutada, member of HAF’s Board of Directors. “Our hope is to make it easier for both parents and students to recognize what a bullying situation may look like by providing hypotheticals, what their rights are, and most importantly, what to do, step by step, should they find their child in a bullying situation.”
Despite this progress, the victims of the bullying have not found peace and security at school, and they have chosen to be home schooled. The parents of the victims did not receive the assurances from the school district that they needed to feel safe in sending their children back to school.
This initiative by HAF to address anti-Hindu bullying is part of a larger focus on education which centers on textbook reform.
“While we may not have been able to intervene early enough to assist in a resolution for the case that served as a wake-up call for all of us to come together,” continued Mahajan, “we now have had the chance to recognize what we can accomplish collectively so that there never is another instance where a student is bullied, parents’ complaints are ignored, and the school does not immediately and effectively address the situation.”
-Kavita Pallod is an Executive Council member of the Hindu American Foundation.
The ADL has a number of programs and resources targeted at helping schools combat bullying, including an initiative called No Place for Hate. ADL worked with Humble ISD as they agreed to adopt the No Place for Hate program to begin training their teachers. An administrator from Humble ISD attended ADL’s No Place for Hate Summer Institute for Educators, where they were asked to attend a session that encouraged schools to create a coalition of students, faculty members, and parents/family. The session also encouraged schools to sign the ADL’s Resolution of Respect and implement anti-bias activities to demonstrate and create an appreciation of and respect for diversity. Humble ISD implemented the educational programs, and in 2013, thirty schools earned the No Place for Hate designation by fully applying the ADL’s No Place for Hate Initiative.
This is all B.S. Nothing has changed at Humble schools – it’s is the same as before.
This was a unfortunate event that occurred. I heard others kids been bullied, but never thought on a million years my child would be bullied. My child was in the Humble ISD he was being bullied by teachers as well as students. Band teachers would get with the students a talk about my child. Teacher hiding chid shoes. Chid had a big feet it was certain shoes he can wear. Students threaten to set my child hair on fire. Two students kicking and punching my child in the chest. One students tried to trip him, as well calling him stupid. One student took picture of him on her phone and showed it around the school. To make thing absolute worse the band students got together a told the principal my chid has drugs on him. While the principal questioning my child he put his hold body between my son leg, while he scream and holler at him. Son stated he felt so violated. Spoke to the school and they downplayed the bullying and said nothing happen. These was upper classman (10-12 grade) my child was in the 9th grade. How was it for you.