Study: More than half of Muslim students do not feel safe in California schools

A survey of Muslim students in California, conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, found that 56 percent of participants felt unsafe, unwelcome, or uncomfortable at school because of their religious identity.
The survey of 708 students between the ages of 11 and 18 found that 26 per cent reported having experienced bullying within the past year, although a higher percentage – 47 per cent – reported incidents before the pandemic began and distance education.
One in four study participants reported that a teacher, administrator, or other adult at their school made offensive comments about Islam or Muslims, and one in three female hijab-wearing students said their hijab had been pulled or aggressively touched.
“Muslim students continue to face high levels of anti-Muslim bullying in school,” Hossam Alloush, CEO of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in California, told the Times of San Diego.
He noted that it was worrying that one of three female students who wore a headscarf reported that their headscarves had been pulled.
“With the resumption of in-person learning in schools, school districts must take proactive steps in these early months to ensure educational environments across the state are free of hostility and discrimination against their Muslim residents,” he added.