Virginia to Include Sikhism in public school social studies

The 17th state to teach Sikhism will help more than a million students learn about the Sikh community

Virginia has become the 17th state in a growing list of American states who have included accurate information about Sikhs in their public school social studies standards.

The Virginia State Board of Education on April 20 voted in favor of new History and Social Science Standards of Learning, which for the first time ever includes Sikhism, according to the Sikh Coalition.

Read: 24 million students can now learn about Sikh faith in US schools (December 21, 2022)

The new standards will give more than a million students in Virginia the opportunity to learn about the Sikh community, the Sikh advocacy organization said.

“After more than two years of engagement alongside the local sangat, this change will help to ensure that Sikhi can be taught in classrooms across the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Harman Singh, Sikh Coalition Senior Education Manager.

“Inclusive and accurate standards are an important first step to combat bigotry and to reduce bullying, and they benefit all students by increasing cultural competency.”

Local adoption and exploration of the new standards will begin after the Virginia Department of Education develops curriculum frameworks in May 2023, and implementation will take place in August 2025.

The Sikh Coalition said it will continue to work closely with the Virginia Department of Education during this process, as well as with students, parents, and teachers throughout the commonwealth.

Since March 2021, the Sikh Coalition and Virginia Sikh community have worked together in order to achieve this outcome, it said.

Their efforts included preparing Sikh community members for public testimony before the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) and facilitating more than 500 emails from Sikh community members to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

Read: US State of Virginia to include Sikhism in its social science curriculum (April 21, 2023)

They also arranged sign-on letters from Virginia gurdwaras and Virginia-based advocacy organizations, holding direct meetings with education officials in the commonwealth, garnering attention in local print and TV media, and attending rallies with allies and partners on the ground.

The Sikh Coalition acknowledged that the new social studies standards come with serious and well-documented flaws, and there are many communities that are not represented as they should be.

The advocacy organization said it continues to fight for not just the Sikh community, but all groups whose histories should be taught accurately.