Because schools are foundational to any neighborhood, CAIR-WA is here to help teachers support Muslim kids and ensure that Muslim families and students receive quality education in Washington.
Kids matter to us! Schools must feel safe and welcoming for everyone including our many diverse Muslim students. Here at CAIR-WA, we work hard for education equity across Washington state. A big piece of that is lifting up Muslim voices in education stakeholder settings and advocating directly to those within the education system.
We talk to school districts, legislators, community partners, and organizations like the Washington Education Association about issues facing Muslim students. These issues include everything from religious accommodations such as spaces for prayers, scheduling and calendaring related to Eid holidays, dress codes that respect racial and religious differences for natural and protective hair styles and religious head coverings, and larger policy concerns like having more counselors in schools and meaningfully addressing bias-based bullying. In all education equity conversations, we work to uplift racial justice concerns and disproportionality in school settings as well. Racial disparities should have no place in our education systems.
Earlier this spring, we sent letters to every school district in Washington sharing information about Ramadan like information on fasting, rituals and celebrations such as night prayers and long delicious iftars, and the need to respect and empathize with your Muslim students. This month we spoke with Seattle Education Association (SEA) about the importance of acknowledging Eid holidays in school calendars as well as other religious accommodations including praying during the school day. We are always thinking about our kids and how we can support them. Our legal team may work with families and school districts after bias-based bullying incidents occur at school, and our advocacy team is planning to create more Know Your Rights materials this summer for back-to-school time next September.
Make a note! CAIR-WA has a handy Educator's Guide that we continue to update and improve to share with teachers and other school staff so that Washington schools may understand and support all their students to the fullest.
Schools are one of the foundations of any neighborhood. We are so grateful to the many hardworking and kind educators and school staff that care for our children. CAIR-WA is here to help teachers support Muslim kids and help Muslim families and students receive an equitable and quality education in Washington!
Amanda Azad is the Deputy Executive Director at CAIR-WA. She is a dedicated civil rights advocate who previously worked as policy counsel at the ACLU of Arizona where she focused on freedom of religion and belief.