Sacramento, CA: June 2, 2016. (PCP) Assembly Bill (AB) 2845, authored by Assembly member Das Williams and sponsored by Asian Americans Advancing Justice - California, Council on American-Islamic Relations, California Chapter, and the Sikh Coalition, passed out of the Assembly Floor on the consent calendar with a 67 - 0 vote. The bill will move on to the Senate where it will be heard in Senate Education Committee. AB 2845 will provide certificated staff at local education agencies with school site and community resources for students who are subject to discrimination and bullying based on actual or perceived religious affiliation. The bill also requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to post anti-bullying resources related to affiliation or perceived affiliation with any religious group on its website. "To receive the full support of the California State Assembly, AB 2845 is a clear sign that California is rejecting the culture of Islamophobia which has been a growing scourge in our national politics," stated Omar Hassaine, CAIR-CA Board Chair. "I am thankful for the support for our Muslim and Sikh youth, and I look forward to a similar response as the bill moves to the California State Senate." The negative tone in our national politics has enflamed a disturbing trend of scapegoating and fear mongering of American Muslims. Recently, a rash of hate crimes aimed at Muslims and Sikhs have occurred across the state and nation, including physical assaults and the defacement of religious sites in California. AB 2845 aims to address potential spikes in bullying and discrimination in our public education system as a result of increased Islamophobia. "Our organizations used community based research to highlight the growing problem of bullying and intimidation faced by Sikh and Muslim youth in California," stated Harjit Kaur, Community Development Manager at the Sikh Coalition. "AB 2845 is a positive policy response to our findings as we try to ensure that our students are provided a safe learning environment. The Sikh Coalition encourages students to practice their faith fearlessly while maintaining their Sikh identities; we work tirelessly to ensure educators, parents, and students have the resources they need to address bullying and discrimination." According to CAIR-CA, 55% of American Muslim students attending California public schools surveyed experience some form of bullying based on their religious identity. This is twice as high as the national statistic for students who report being bullied at school. CAIR-CA also finds that American Muslim youth continue to identify student-teacher relations as needing improvement in addressing such bullying. Similarly, the Sikh Coalition has reported that 50% of Sikh students have encountered school bullying. This number increases significantly for turbaned Sikh students, 67% of whom have encountered bullying. In Fresno, 51% of the students surveyed by the Sikh Coalition reported that they felt school officials did not respond adequately to bullying incidents. AB 2845 will ensure that school employees will be provided school site and community resources so that our students are provided the assistance and support they need when faced with school bullying and discrimination. These resources are essential to ensure student academic success because it is often difficult for children to learn in a fearful environment. "No student should have to experience fear and intimidation because of their religious affiliation - especially in our public education system" said Andrew Medina with Asian Americans Advancing Justice - California. "Our coalition is proud to work with Assemblymember Das Williams in ensuring that we address the harmful effects of Islamophobia in our public schools."