DeKalb County Schools rep address Sikh community regarding changes to bullying policy.

Representatives from the DeKalb County school district, various police agencies and the U.S. Department of Justice met with members of Atlanta’s Sikh community on Feb. 9 to address increased concerns about bullying in schools.

The community outreach followed on the heels of DeKalb County School District’s roll out of new bullying prevention polices. The new policies are the results of a Sikh student’s 2013 legal victory against the school district over its mishandling of his bullying case.

The student, Japjee Singh, a sophomore at Dunwoody High School, also spoke during the event, describing the harassment he experienced while attending Kingsley Elementary School. The bullying followed him to Peachtree Middle School where it escalated into physical violence. “I had bruises all over my face. I had cuts in my jaw that still bleed to this day.”

He described the difficulties he and his family faced when dealing with school officials and the steps the family took that eventually led to a settlement between the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DeKalb County School District in May 2013.

That settlement resolved specific allegations of religious and national origin harassment of a Sikh student and required DeKalb County to overhaul its policies and to develop training to better addressed harassment or bullying, according to a Nov. 2014 Justice Department press release.

The event, which was sponsored by the Asian American Peace Officers of Georgia and the Asian American Parents Association’s Bullying Prevention Task Force, was an attempt to explain the rights and resources available to students and family members as a result of the policy overhaul.

Quentin Fretwell, DeKalb County’s Safe Schools coordinator, who was the author of the District’s updated policy, expressed dismay at the bullying and lack of assistance experienced by the Singh family, and he tried to reassure the event attendees of the support they should now expect to receive.

“If you ever have a situation involving bullying or harassment, where you feel like nothing has been done, you need to call me. That’s what I do now.”

However, Fretwell said, it is ultimately the responsibility of parents and community members to read, understand and follow the new policies and escalation process listed on the school district’s website and in the handbooks given to students each year.

Police officers representing Gwinnett and Bartow County Police Departments, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett County School and the Morrow Police Departments, were also on hand. They explained how their respective jurisdictions handle bullying cases, but said police typically only get involved when a crime, such as an assault, has been committed and will usually defer to their respective school districts to handle bullying outcries.