‘I felt humiliated’: Why California schools need ethnic studies classes

They could have treated it like an isolated incident. Instead, Pleasant Grove High School held a community meeting to talk about it.

Sabah Elias, 17, was staying after school for tutoring last week when she said someone in a mask followed her to the bathroom, verbally abused her for being Muslim, and threw a bucket of water at her. She called her parents, who told her to tell the school. The school called the police.

“I was in shock at that time, and I was in tears, and so overwhelmed with what happened,” Elias said, per a story by Sacramento Bee reporter Sawsan Morrar. “I felt humiliated.”

The incident is under investigation and it is unclear whether it was a student who followed Elias.

How Pleasant Grove responded can serve as an example for other schools where students report discrimination or bullying because of their race, sexual orientation or religion.

The education system can’t act as a silver bullet for racism and xenophobia. Families and the larger community must recognize their responsibility. Youth absorb attitudes from home, online, and their peers. If those attitudes are toxic, kids will carry that with them.

Still, the incident Elias described is a reminder that California’s education system must do more to foster acceptance and respect among students.

The school took the incident seriously, informed students’ families about it the next day, and the day after that held a community meeting that roughly 100 students, parents and school officials attended.

Not all schools respond that proactively when acts of hate happen on campus, said Kalin Kipling, local spokesperson for Council on American-Islamic Relations. Sometimes administrators ignore the issue. Other times they treat it as a private matter.

Pleasant Grove’s response was based in part on past community experience, said Elk Grove Unified School District board member Nancy Chaires Espinoza.

Two years ago, after then-Pleasant Grove senior Rachel Francois accused the school of refusing to acknowledge racist acts toward black students, the board held a meeting at Sheldon High School where black students openly discussed their experiences.

“We learned ... the importance of giving the community an opportunity to speak out,” said Espinoza.

Pleasant Grove deserves praise for learning from the experience. But the unfortunate reality is, as Elk Grove High School student Naema Ali said at the meeting, “What happened to Sabah happens to a lot of brown students.”

And not just at Pleasant Grove, or in Elk Grove schools.

An October report from the California chapter of CAIR said 40 percent of Muslim students in the state reported being bullied over their faith, “more than twice the national average for bullying in school for all students,” wrote Morrar in a story about the data. Roughly a third said school officials made Islamophobic remarks.

School is supposed to be a place of learning. Which is why California should consider mandating ethnic studies classes in schools.

A bill that would require the subject for high school students is stalled in the state legislature as a model ethnic studies curriculum from the California Department of Education undergoes scrutiny and revisions.

History of marginalized ethnic populations, from their own perspectives, should be woven into curricula across subjects and grade levels.

Integrating education in that way will take time. We have an opportunity to start the process now. Creating a quality ethnic studies course, and mandating that schools teach the subject, will help students navigate and appreciate their diverse communities. It opens the door for more holistic solutions moving forward.

This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 5:00 AM.