SAN DIEGO (AP) - One of the nation's largest school districts has started a campaign against Islamophobia, drawing praise and criticism.
The San Diego Unified School District's multiyear plan includes ensuring staff calendars include Muslim holidays, reviewing library materials on Muslim culture, providing resources to teachers and engaging in partnerships with the Council on American Islamic Relations.
The district also plans to consider high school clubs that promote American Muslim culture, create "safe spaces" for students and train staff about Muslim culture. The district is reviewing internal staff calendars to make sure Muslim holidays are recognized.
A letter outlining plans will be sent to staff and parents of its 132,000 students. It's expected to go out before Ramadan begins in late May.
The plan drew little attention when the board approved it 4-0 on April 4, with one member absent. Public comments from staff and community members were uniformly positive.
"We believe this is a great first step in the direction of protecting Muslim students from the bullying that is a direct result of the growing Islamophobia in our state and nation," Hanif Mohebi, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' San Diego chapter, said after the vote. "Other school districts should follow this lead, and we will be happy to work with them to provide resources and trainings."
Pushback gradually spread on the internet and social media, with written attacks on Islam and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. A Sunday article on the conservative website Breitbart News drew hundreds of reader comments. The headline of a story on the Angry Patriot website that had 35,000 Facebook 'likes' read, "Islamic Takeover CONFIRMED - American School Surrenders to SHARIA LAW."
Mary Baker, founder of Citizens for Quality Education-San Diego, urged the district to retract the policy. Her organization planned a protest at Tuesday's school board meeting.
"Students may be taught about religion in its historical context, but public schools may not teach religion and its tenets," she said. "We care about all students and this new 'anti-bullying' policy specifically crafted to protect Muslim students is discriminatory and may adversely affect the student body."
The school district said on its website the plan addresses "some of the specific challenges faced by the Muslim student community," which expressed concern about student safety last summer.
"We strongly believe students cannot learn if they are afraid, and so this initiative to combat Islamophobia is focused on eliminating the fear faced by children," it said.
The district said it is not endorsing Islam, favoring a religion or imposing Sharia law.
As for safe spaces, the district said, "Schools with large Muslim communities may choose to make areas available for prayer, if that is requested by their parents and students. However, this is no more or less than we would do to accommodate Christians who want to pray at school, or members of other faiths. It is not uncommon, for example, for our schools to have a prayer club that meets before the start of school."
Last fall, Kansas City Public Schools and California's Oakland Unified School District passed resolutions expressing solidarity with Muslim students.