Anti-Asian Bullying Resources

There has been an increase in hate and violence directed towards Asian Americans across the country throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools across Minnesota have seen reports of increased bullying, name-calling, physical abuse and online harassment directed at Asian American youth and students. As we begin this school year, we encourage all districts and charter schools to be mindful of the continued rise in anti-Asian sentiment.

To help counter this, school districts and charter schools should:

• Issue statements of support of Asian American students and families.
• Create policies and programming that promote welcoming environments and are inclusive to Asian Americans to prevent incidents of hate, racial bullying and harassment.
• Implement an accountability process that is transparent and restorative for when these incidents occur.
• Provide additional support for Asian American students through counseling, reconciliation, mediation and support to Asian American families through translated materials containing community resources. 
• Include resources on how to support Asian American students and staff and provide educational information on Asian American diverse communities and their histories in coming to the United States, when doing anti-bias or diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) trainings for school staff.

COVID-19 is in no way connected to race, ethnicity, or nationality. School staff should be mindful that bullying, intimidation, or harassment of students based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, or disability (including the actual disability of being infected with COVID-19 or perception of being infected) may result in a violation of state and federal civil rights laws. School districts and charter schools must take immediate and appropriate action to investigate what occurred when responding to reports of bullying or harassment. If parents and families believe their child has experienced bullying, harassment, or intimidation related to the COVID-19 outbreak, they should contact their school principal or their designee. Students, staff and families can also call the Minnesota Department of Human Rights’ discrimination hotline at 1-833-454-0148 or report discrimination online.

The Coalition of Asian American Leaders in Minnesota offers resources and actionable steps districts and charter schools can take to combat anti-Asian racism including bystander training, policy recommendations for addressing hate violence, and a self-advocacy pack. They also have a Stop Asian Hate workshop to educate institutions on how to fight racism against Asian Americans. Districts and charter schools can also access a Confronting COVID-19-Related Harassment in Schools resource provided by the U.S. Department of Education.