A proposed agreement between St. Cloud school district and the federal government requires the district to continue a number of steps taken to maintain a safe and harassment-free environment.
It also requires the district to monitor its actions and report annually to the Office of Civil Rights.
The agreement, if approved by school board members Thursday, would end a 20-month investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
Superintendent Bruce Watkins said most of the items in the agreement are already being done, and he is confident that had the investigation gone forward, it would have found the district did not violate civil rights laws.
The Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Minneapolis group that asked the Department of Education in March 2010 to investigate a series of incidents and complaints from Somali students in St. Cloud schools, said the district had much to lose by not agreeing to a settlement and that it is a big victory for the students.
“We are confident if this would have gone into investigation it would have uncovered more full-fledged incidences of discrimination,” said Taneeza Islam, civil rights director for CAIR Minnesota.
Lawyers for the Office of Civil Rights spent two days in October 2010 conducting interviews in St. Cloud.
The monitoring and annual report are among 16 actions the agreement requires, many of which are state law or present practice.
“The majority of action items are things we have already implemented or would be pleased to implement because we think it is best practice,” Watkins said.
They include prompt investigation of all reports of harassment; a district policy with a broader definition of harassment that includes derogatory language, intimidation and threats; a review of policies and the code of conduct and distribution of a statement to students, all by Nov. 30.
The agreement requires training of staff and administration and, by Nov. 30, an invitation to all current Somali students and those enrolled at Apollo and Technical High schools to a meeting expressing commitment to a harassment-free environment.
The district will continue to maintain a student committee at each high school to provide a forum to improve cultural awareness.
It will also establish a working group to make recommendations to the district regarding the effectiveness of the anti-harassment policy and positive changes to the school climate.
It also must provide age-appropriate lessons for all students that address harassment and promote respect and tolerance.
By Nov. 30, the district will review and revise as needed the proposed school climate survey and by May 15, the district will administer the survey.
The district will establish a cabinet-level monitoring program to assess anti-harassment efforts and provide a series of monitoring reports regarding the action steps.
All of the items except for the reports to the federal government are already happening, Watkins said.
Watkins said the district enters into the agreement with the belief that the district does not and did not violate federal civil rights laws. He said the district will continue to move forward, wanting to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all students.
“We are going to use this experience we have been through to try to improve our climate and procedures and make sure we provide the safest environment possible,” Watkins said.
Islam said it is a stretch for the district to say the things were already being done. She said Somali students came to CAIR because their problems were not being addressed.
“It is kind of disappointing to see the district play the savvy media game and say, ‘We are already doing this. It is not a big deal,’ ” Islam said.
“This is a federal agency that has taken 20 months to do all these things and (the district) agreed to be monitored,” she said. “If at the end of the day, if this agreement is going to be signed, we are very happy the student voice is going to be heard.”
Xildhibaanada Soomaalida ee Nairobi iska fadhiya ayaa u sheegay saxaafadda Kiinya in Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya uu ku khaldan yahay inuu yiraahdo “Kiinya sharci darro ayay kusoo gashay dalkeena”.
Waxaa yaab leh Xildhibaanadaani ma Kiinya ayay Xildhibaano ka yihiin mise Soomaaliya?
Hoos ka akhriso waxay dhaheen.
Somali MPs and elders have disowned a statement by their president over Kenya’s military operations in Somalia.
Saying it was a “shame and disturbing,” MPs Haret Aden, Abdulahi Amin and Abdurzack Haji told a press conference on Tuesday the statement had caught them by surprise and they had lost faith in President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.
President Ahmed on Monday said Kenya’s offensive against Al-Shabaab should be limited to training Somali soldiers and providing logistical support.
Lost our support
“We all know the favours that Kenya has done Somalia in the last 20 years. Even a small child knows. President Ahmed has lost our support,” Mr Aden said at a Garissa hotel.
The MPs said they had decided to call the press conference after consulting elders and other leaders in Azania, a new state created this year through the help of Igad to rid Somalia of Al-Shabaab and restore peace.
The MPs said people in Somalia had staged demonstrations against President Ahmed’s statement.
Peace committees in Garissa and Lagdera districts in Kenya also condemned the Somali president’s statement.
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Daily Nation
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