September 19, 2018

The San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) today applauded the signing of an anti-bullying bill into law by California Gov. Jerry Brown.

AB 2291, introduced by Assemblymember David Chiu and co-sponsored by CAIR-CA, requires local educational agencies to adopt new procedures to prevent bullying by December 31, 2019.

The law requires schools operated by a school district or a county office of education, along with charter schools, to make available an online training module developed by the California Department of Education (CDE) to all school-site employees who have regular interaction with students annually. Additionally, it requires the CDE to post its online training module and an annually updated list of other available online training modules related to bullying or bullying prevention.

“The signing of this bill communicates to the most marginalized students today that their schools are concerned for them, and are taking measures to protect them,” said CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo. “AB 2291 will provide preventative measures, better education, and more resources for young people who are subjected to bias-based bullying. This is progress on the path to ensuring that students who are targeted by bullies know where and how to get help.”

CAIR-CA’s statewide report on school bullying found that 53 percent of 1,041 Muslim students in California surveyed were bullied over their religion in 2016.

“Today California has taken an important step in addressing bullying and protecting all students,” added Yannina Casillas, Legislative & Government Relations Coordinator for CAIR-CA. “The passage of AB 2291 will ensure that the learning environments for all of our students are free from hostility and discrimination.”

On Monday, Gov. Brown also signed AB 2184 into law. The bill, also introduced by Chiu and on CAIR-CA’s legislative agenda, requires cities and counties that license businesses to accept a California driver’s license or identification number, individual taxpayer identification number, or municipal identification number. This bill will uplift immigrant families and communities through increased economic opportunities in their regions, ensuring they have equal access to business licenses.

AB 2291 and AB 2184 were both highlighted during CAIR-CA’s Muslim Day at the Capitol, which was held on April 23. Over 700 Muslims gathered in Sacramento to advocate for these bills and AB 931, which sought to curb police violence against civilians.