Got this news from the
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund about Gundeep Singh, a Sikh American 4th grader in Clute, Texas who was barred from enrolling at his local public elementary school because he wore a patka, a small head covering regularly worn by young Sikh boys as mandated by his faith:
Last school year a local couple, Jarnail Singh and Ravinder Kaur, went to Gladys Polk Elementary School in Clute, Texas to enroll their son Gundeep Singh. However, when a school official saw their son had uncut hair and wore a patka, a small head covering regularly worn by young Sikh boys as mandated by his faith, the school refused to let their son attend classes in the BISD. Even when they took their case to Deputy Superintendent Dennis McNaughten, he told them they must find another school because wearing a patka and keeping his hair uncut (both required by the Sikh religion) were in violation of the district's "no hats" policy and hair length requirements for boys.
"We just wanted our son to be able to go to school like everybody else," said Ms. Kaur. "We thought this was America, where everybody was free to choose and follow their own religion without being discriminated against."
But with the help of SALDEF and the Texas Civil Rights Project, the student and his family were able to overturn the long-standing policy that essentially discriminated against their religion. Gundeep has been allowed back into school and the school district's dress code has been revised:
The family contacted Kavneet Singh, no relation to Jarnail Singh, Managing Director of SALDEF. "The school was essentially saying that students were not able to practice their religion freely," said Singh. "Regrettably we still see such incidents across the country of Sikh Americans being refused access to public schools, denied employment and being subjected to hate crimes, primarily due to their distinct identity."
Wayne Krause, an attorney at the TCRP, agreed to represent the family and immediately informed BISD that, "The district's policies and actions against our client's son violate the United States Constitution as well as the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act because there is no exemption for students engaged in free expression and free exercise of religion."
Within days, BISD agreed to an exception and the family's son was enrolled in his own school. Both sides worked together to create a permanent exemption in the dress code for religious practice that has been approved for the new school year. Additionally, BISD invited SALDEF to offer a training to ensure administrators across the district would be better informed about the religious practices of Sikh American children and more fully understand the issues they face as students, like bullying and harassment. Having just completed the exchange, Kavneet Singh said, "The district was open to learning about diverse religions, and as a result, it will be able to ensure its students have a safer and better education."
I get the impression that the good people at the Brazosport Independent School District had encountered exactly zero Sikh students prior to Gundeep. What did they think when he walked through those doors -- that the youngster was just wearing a funny hat? Props to SALDEF for getting involved and helping this family stand up for their rights. That said, I wish young Gundeep the best -- it will not be easy being the only Sikh student at Gladys Polk Elementary School.
