[OCR-00093]

 U.S. Department of Justice U.S. Department of Education White House Initiative on 

 Civil Rights Division Office for Civil Rights Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 

Combating Discrimination Against AANHPI and MASSA Students 

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division (CRT) and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil 

Rights (OCR) enforce federal civil rights laws in public and federally funded schools at all educational levels. These laws 

protect all students, including Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and Muslim, Arab, Sikh, 

and South Asian (MASSA) students, from discrimination based on race, color, and national origin (including language and 

shared ethnic characteristics). CRT also enforces prohibitions on religious discrimination in public schools. Schools must 

take immediate and appropriate action to respond to complaints of discrimination, including harassment or bullying based 

on race, color, national origin, or religion. The following are examples of action, or in some cases inaction, by school 

officials that could violate the laws enforced by CRT or OCR: 

 A Korean-American student tells her principal that a  During a lesson about 9/11, classmates of a Muslim

group of Korean students has repeatedly stolen her middle school student call him a terrorist and tell him to

Asian history textbook and said that she is not a “real go back to his country. The teacher tells the class that

Korean” because she only speaks English. The only some Muslims are terrorists, and asks the student

principal tells her that because the students who are why Muslims have not denounced the terrorist attacks

bothering her are also Korean, it was probably a of 9/11. The student complains to a school official about

misunderstanding among friends and takes no action. the statements by his teacher and classmates, but the

school official take no steps to respond.

 A Sikh student wears his turban to school. A teacher

 A high school provides English learner (EL) services tells the student he needs to remove the turban for his

only to EL students who speak Spanish. When Punjabi- own safety, given recent violence targeting Muslims in

speaking students inquire about EL services to assist the region. The student informs the teacher that he is

them with their advanced placement (AP) classes, the Sikh. When he refuses to remove his turban, he is

principal tells them that they cannot both receive EL suspended.

services and take AP classes.

 A student from China receives an out-of-school

suspension for violating the school’s code of conduct.  A group of Asian students is hit and taunted every week

Before meeting with the assistant principal to discuss in gym class by other students who say, “Asians are

the suspension, the student’s parent requests an supposed to be good at math—not basketball.” When

interpreter, but school administrators do not arrange they complain to the teacher, they are told that the best

for one. When the parent arrives for the meeting, there response is to ignore the other students and to focus on

is no interpreter and the assistant principal proceeds doing better in gym class.

with the meeting.

Anyone with information about discrimination occurring in schools may file a complaint by contacting: 

U.S. Dept. of Justice, Civil Rights Division U.S. Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights 

Educational Opportunities Section Email: ocr@ed.gov

Email: education@us doj.gov Telephone: 202-453-6100 or 800-421-3481 

Telephone: 202-514-4092 or 877-292-3804 TDD: 800-877-8339

TTY: 800-514-0383 Language Assistance: 800-USA-LEARN (800-872-5327) 

OCR also offers technical assistance to the public and will respond to inquiries about 

schools’ obligations and the rights of students and parents under the laws that OCR enforces.

For more information about the laws that CRT and OCR enforce, including those prohibiting discrimination based 

on disability and sex (including gender identity and nonconformity with sex stereotypes), please visit us at 

www.justice.gov/crt/edo and www.ed.gov/ocr.