IDRA EAC-South

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Religion

Religion Equity

IDRA EAC-South Technical Assistance

The IDRA EAC-South’s capacity-building technical assistance can help state and local education agencies in addressing religious discrimination. These issues may be self-identified or identified through an active school desegregation court order, an Office for Civil Rights resolution, or an investigation by a federal or state civil rights enforcement agency.

Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects students from discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, all students are equally protected from discrimination based on any of the aforementioned identities, including discrimination or harassment based on a student’s actual or perceived:

  • shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, or
  • citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity.

To ask about the availability of services for your school or school district, complete an intake form.

How religious discrimination may manifest in schools
  • Allowing students to be subjected to mixed ethnic and religious slurs.
  • Harassing students because of their perceived religion.
  • Restricting certain religious attire or religious, personal grooming.
  • Accommodating certain religious practices but not others.
Examples of technical assistance and training available

The IDRA EAC-South is available to provide tailored technical assistance and training to state and local education agencies. Examples of the support available include:

  • Assessments of school climate
  • Data analyses of relevant metrics related to religious discrimination and harassment
  • Administrator and teacher training on IDRA’s Equity Principles
  • Reviewing and revising local policies to identify and remove systemic barriers
  • Developing targeted train-the-trainer plans for educators and administrators
  • Modifying and/or creating equitable bullying and harassment policies
  • Establishing a local monitoring plan to ensure fidelity of implementation

See our resource page for tools on educational equity and religion. Highlights are below.

Podcast: Dress Codes and Religion Equity

There may forever be a tension between what teenagers want to wear to school and what school officials deem is appropriate. School dress codes may serve a purpose, but they cannot prevent a student from expressing religious beliefs.

In this episode, we look at what the law and courts have said about religion equity in the context of dress codes and what schools should be doing to avoid infringing on students’ rights.

We also hear from a former student who is Muslim on her experiences in school. For this discussion, Phoebe Schlanger, the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium senior publications editor, and Nada Mousa, a research and program assistant at MAEC, join David Hinojosa, J.D., director of the federally-funded IDRA EAC-South, which provides technical assistance and training to build capacity of local educators to serve their diverse student populations.

Hear podcast

Go to the podcast webpage to listen to Dress Codes and Religion Equity – Classnotes Podcast 186.

Article: Religion Equity in Schools – Protecting Students and Their Civil Rights

Recently, there has been a rise in the number of Muslim and Sikh students who face bullying and harassment at school due to their religious affiliation or expression. In this article, Paula N. Johnson focuses on religious diversity as a protected civil right, how schools can foster more inclusive learning environments, and recommendations for educators.
Many times, students can be targeted because of visible symbols they wear in accordance with their religious beliefs. To alleviate these issues and protect all students, we must work to prepare teachers and help students appreciate, respect, understand and learn from students of other cultures.

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Read article

Paula N. Johnson focuses on religious diversity as a protected civil right, how schools can foster more inclusive learning environments, and recommendations for educators.

Read article: Religion Equity in Schools – Protecting Students and Their Civil Rights, by Paula N. Johnson, Ph.D., IDRA Newsletter, August 2018

Article: Religion Equity and School Dress Codes

This article explores the history of school dress codes and students’ religious expression. The role of religious activities observed and practiced in districts and public schools has been one of the most unclear, misinterpreted and misunderstood civil rights issues.
All educational settings should provide a welcoming, nurturing and educational setting for students, families and communities regardless of faith or belief. To achieve this end, Sulema Carreón-Sánchez and Phoebe Schlanger provide tips and resources for schools, educators or parents seeking strategies and information about religion equity, bullying and inclusive dress codes.
Read article

Sulema Carreón-Sánchez and Phoebe Schlanger provide tips and resources for schools, educators or parents seeking strategies and information about religion equity, bullying and inclusive dress codes.

Read article: Religion Equity and School Dress Codes, by Sulema Carreón-Sánchez, Ph.D., and Phoebe Schlanger, IDRA Newsletter, August 2018

Resources on Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying in Schools

As the use of social media and cell phones continues to expand and connect students more readily in important ways, so too does the rising threat of cyberbullying. Whether it concerns students “trolling” other students on Twitter because of their perceived gender, sending continuous text messages harassing a student because of their race, or posting repeated disparaging pictures implicating a student’s religion or immigration status on Instagram, cyberbullying comes in many forms.

See Resource List

Article: Relational Youth Violence – Protecting Muslim Youth in School

School-age children in the United States are growing up in an environment that is increasingly hostile toward the Muslim community. Analyzing the most recent FBI data available, the Pew Research Center (2016) finds that hate crimes against Muslims in 2015 had risen to similar levels as those committed shortly after 9/11, which was a 67 percent increase in incidents from the previous year. Although 2016 numbers from the FBI will not be available until late this year, it is unlikely that this number will have decreased.

Read article

Sofía Bahena outlines challenges facing American Muslim students and strategies for schools.

Read article: Relational Youth Violence – Protecting Muslim Youth in School, by Sofía Bahena, Ed.D., IDRA Newsletter, February 2017

Know Your Rights: Title VI and Religion Fact Sheet

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces federal civil rights laws that prohibit schools, colleges, and universities from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. These laws protect students who are or are perceived to be members of a religious group, such as Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs, from discrimination on any of the bases described above.

See factsheet

See factsheet by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights: Know Your Rights: Title VI and Religion Fact Sheet, January 2017

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