The Montgomery school system will begin developing new cultural competency guidelines and best practices after reaching a settlement over discrimination claims raised by a school bus driver who says he experienced a decade of harassment.
Sawinder Singh, 45, was hired by the school system in 2006 as a bus driver and almost immediately began experiencing “relentless insults,” he said.
Singh, a Sikh who wears a turban and has a beard as part of observing his religion, said he spent nearly a decade enduring constant harassment, from students calling him a “terrorist” to colleagues telling him to “go back to your country.”
Ten years after he was hired, Singh filed a claim with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging more than 30 instances of discrimination, and after three years in limbo, his lawyers, with the Sikh Coalition and Public Justice, on Tuesday announced the settlement.
Reached after about a year of negotiations, the settlement states Singh will be employed as a bus route supervisor beginning July 1 and establishes a working group to review current training initiatives and workplace climate with a goal to improve cultural competency.
A redacted copy of the agreement was provided by the Sikh Coalition.
Initial findings of the working group, tasked with outlining areas of potential improvement in cultural competency training, are expected within 60 days.
The settlement, signed May 22, does not indicate whether Singh was awarded financial damages, and his attorneys said “we can’t confirm or deny or speak to any financial agreement.”
The Sikh Coalition and Public Justice are national advocacy organizations that work with minority populations. An estimated 500,000 Sikhs live in the United States, and those who practice the religion believe people of all faiths worship one divine being who created the world and lives within it.
Singh, of Clarksburg, said colleagues criticized his “unshorn” beard, considered an “article of faith” and on at least one occasion, when he missed a turn while driving a school bus, students accused him of kidnapping them.
Despite reporting the discrimination to school employees several times, Singh said system officials did not take corrective action.
“The big word in my life is ‘Why?’ Why is this happening to me?” Singh said. “It caused me a lot of stress and is a big question I kept looking for an answer for and never got so far.”
Singh alleges that after he filed the discrimination notice, school system staff “retaliated” by suspending him without pay for 10 days in 2016 for dropping a student at the wrong location.
Names of those who allegedly harassed Singh and school officials involved were blacked out in documents.
In a statement, the school system highlighted “several key actions” it has taken since Singh reported discrimination he experienced, including implementing additional bullying and discrimination training for school system transportation department employees, featuring Singh’s experiences in a school newsletter and listing Singh as a resource for teachers seeking speakers about the Sikh community.
The agreement says the school system “denies liability” for the alleged harassment Singh experienced and bars Singh from filing other discrimination lawsuits against the school system.
“We do not and will not tolerate behavior that is hateful, bigoted, racist or discriminatory,” the school system statement said. “MCPS has worked collaboratively with the Sikh Coalition and Public Justice to continue its support of Mr. Singh and to strengthen our efforts to increase equity and respect in the workplace and schools.”
Singh’s attorney, Amrith Kaur, said she believes the Montgomery school system’s size and history being considered one of the best in the country will position it as a national example for developing inclusive and holistic cultural competency practices.
Singh said people have questioned why he did not quit his job when he was harassed. But as the “sole breadwinner” of his family – a wife and three children – who moved to the United States in 1999, Singh said it wasn’t an option. He receives fair pay and a good benefits package, he said. Moreover, Singh said, he enjoys working with children and intends to continue doing so and hopes changes in school system policy will make his experience brighter.
“Since the beginning, I love the school. That’s my favorite part of my life is being educated more and more every day,” Singh said. “Working with the school system is a great thing and now hopefully the district will be more helpful for people like me. I’m hoping it is a better place to stay because I don’t want to move anywhere else.”
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
