Friend --
With most of our students in school already or headed back today, AAI wants to be sure that every student has a successful year and that families are ready to respond to any incidents of bigotry, discrimination or First Amendment violations related to their child’s education.





Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, students are protected from discrimination based on their race, skin color, religion or national origin. Nearly 20 years after Title VI was first enacted, the Supreme Court confirmed, in Plyler v. Doe, that Title VI’s protection also extends to those who were foreign-born which means public schools cannot refuse to admit a student based on their immigration status. 

Students are free to express their religious beliefs; this includes wearing a hijab, crucifix or yarmulke. If English is not your first language, schools must provide language help <[link removed]>. Parents, you also have the right to receive communication from your student’s school in YOUR primary language.



Other areas of concern relate to how the First Amendment is applied or violated in relation to student expression. This can range from monitoring the online activity of students to attempts to suppress advocacy for Palestinian human rights on college campuses. 



You have every right to feel SAFE at school.Please see our compilation of resources <[link removed]> below for more information or click here <[link removed]> for more information. If you have a specific incident occur, feel free to contact me directly. 



Suher Adi

If you feel like yourstudent’s rights have been violatedat school, use the resources below:



- U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights - Call them at 800-421-3481 or file a complaint here. <[link removed]>


- U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division - Call them at 877 292 3804 or file a complaint here. <[link removed]>


- Follow AAI’s resources on how to report various kinds of discrimination and hate <[link removed]>





Resources about how to supportimmigrant and/or undocumented school children from UNIDOS-US:



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Free speech on campus and student privacy resources from the American Civil Liberties Union:



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“Let us Learn” Resources from The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:



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Arab American Institute - United States
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