BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2845 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 2845 (Williams) As Amended August 16, 2016 Majority vote -------------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |67-0 |(May 27, 2016) |SENATE: |34-3 |(August 18, | | | | | | |2016) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- Original Committee Reference: ED. SUMMARY: Requires the California Department of Education (CDE), as part of its existing compliance monitoring activities, to assess whether local educational agencies (LEAs) have provided information to staff serving students in grades 7 through 12 on resources related to bullying due to religious affiliation, and requires the CDE to post on its Web site a list of resources that support students who have been subject to school-based discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived religious affiliation, nationality, race, or ethnicity. The Senate amendments require that Superintendent post on its Web site, and annually update, a list of statewide resources, including community-based organizations, that provide support to youth, and their families, who have been subjected to school-based discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying, including school-based discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying on the basis of nationality, race, or AB 2845 Page 2 ethnicity, or perceived nationality, race, or ethnicity. FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, based on the August 1 2016, amended version: 1)Costs to the CDE of approximately $20,000 General Fund in the first year to add additional resources to the department website on school-based discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying on the basis of religious affiliation, or perceived religious affiliation. 2)Ongoing costs of approximately $10,000 General Fund to incorporate LEA compliance review into the existing compliance monitoring process. 3)Potential state costs for LEAs to provide required information to certificated staff. The CDE is required to monitor compliance of this activity which may be perceived to impose a reimbursable state mandate. If an LEA is required to comply, statewide costs could be in the low tens of thousands. See staff comments. (Proposition 98) COMMENTS: Need for the bill. The author states, "The negative tone in our national politics has enflamed a disturbing trend of scapegoating and fear mongering of American Muslims. Recently, a rash of hate crimes aimed at Muslims and Sikhs have occurred across the nation, including physical assaults and the defacement of religious sites in California. AB 2845 aims to address potential spikes in bullying and discrimination in our public education system as a result of increased Islamophobia?and will ensure that school employees will be provided schoolsite and community resources so that our students are provided the assistance and support they need when faced with school bullying and discrimination." AB 2845 Page 3 Surveys of California Muslim and Sikh students find high rates of bullying. A 2015 report published by the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, titled Mislabeled: The Impact of School Bullying and Discrimination on California Muslim Students, reported data from surveys of 500 Muslim students in California. It found: 1)55% of students surveyed reported being subjected to some form of bullying based on their religious identity. According to the report, this is twice as high as the national percentage of students who report being bullied at school. 2)29% of the female students who wear a hijab, the Islamic headscarf, reported being offensively touched by another student, and 27% reported being discriminated against by their teacher. 3)19% of students reported cyberbullying based on religion. 4)20% of students reported that school staff either made offensive comments about the students' religion or allowed other students to make such remarks, and 20% of students who reported bullying were unhappy with the response from school administrators. A 2014 publication by the Sikh Coalition, titled "Go Home Terrorist:" A Report on Bullying Against Sikh American School Children reported data from a survey and focus groups with several hundred Sikh students in Fresno. It also found high rates of bullying: 1)54% of Sikh youth have experienced bullying or harassment, 21% report being bullied or harassed at least once a week, and 13% report bullying almost daily. 2)67% of Sikh youth who wear turbans and maintain uncut hair in accordance with religious beliefs have experienced bullying AB 2845 Page 4 and harassment. 3)63% of those bullied believed they were bullied on the basis of religion or ethnicity, and almost 27% believed it was because other students thought they looked like terrorists. 4)51% of Sikh youth believe school officials do not respond adequately to bullying incidents. CDE bullying resource website. This bill requires the CDE to include information on bullying and discrimination based on religious affiliation on its website. Pursuant to current law, the CDE maintains a page of resources on bullying on its Web site, which provides links to numerous resources for program, policy, and curriculum on this topic. There are resources listed that are specific to bullying of students with disabilities, and bullying of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) students. While some resources mention religious discrimination, there do not appear to be any resources listed which specifically address school-based bullying based on actual or perceived religious affiliation. Analysis Prepared by: Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN: 0004518