This survey also serves as a follow-up to our 2009 survey on the school bullying of all New York City students, including Asian American students.

In September 2008, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Schools Chancellor Joel Klein announced Chancellor’s Regulation A-832, which established policies and procedures on how New York City schools should respond to bias-based harassment, intimidation, and bullying in schools1. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), the Sikh Coalition, and many other community organizations had long advocated for such measures and we applauded the city for taking a foundational step to ensure the safety of all students.

However, as the five-year anniversary of the anti-bullying Regulation approaches, our survey found a significant gap between the promise of bias-free public schools and the day-to-day reality of Asian American students.

In 2012, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), the Sikh Coalition, with help from community partners the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities conducted a “snapshot” survey of 163 Asian American students to shed light on the current school climate in New York City public schools.

Our . alarming findings in New York City mirror national studies, such as a 2009 United States Department of Justice study, which found that 54% of Asian American students who reported bullying at school were bullied in the classroom itself. Outside the classroom, Asian Americans reported being bullied on school grounds at a rate 20% higher than whites and 10% higher than the next closest racial group. Finally, Asian Americans reported experiencing cyber-bullying once or twice a month, at a rate 40% higher than other racial groups.

It is our hope that the DOE will make it a priority to fully implement Chancellor’s Regulation A-832 in order to fulfill the promise of bias-free schools. All New York City students have the right to a safe environment in school, free from discrimination and harassment.