The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) Statement following Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District Failure to Respond to Racial Bullying

(San Francisco, CA, December 6, 2023)– Following Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District failure to appropriately respond to racial bullying, TAAF Chief Executive Officer Norman Chen issued the following statement in response:

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“An Asian American mother from Texas has spoken out publicly following Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District’s failure to condemn racist acts against her children. Hai Au Huynh shared that her two sons were subjected to anti-Asian taunts on the bus and other hateful incidents from fellow students. The district responded by privately addressing the offender’s behavior and intent, but not fully addressing the impact on the targeted child.

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Educational institutions have an important responsibility to create safe places of learning for their students. When schools and their districts fail to address anti-AAPI racism, it is impossible to create supportive environments for AAPI youth to thrive. We urge parents to speak up about bullying and bias and hope that district and state leadership take the harmful impact of these incidents seriously. We also encourage the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District to readopt anti-bias and bullying education. 

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This is why it is important, now more than ever, to continue the push to standardize AAPI history in our K-12 classrooms. Organizations like Asian Texans for Justice and the Center for Asian American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin are piloting AAPI history courses in Austin with hopes to expand into other districts and charter schools across Texas. We applaud these localized efforts who understand that belonging starts in the classroom; if students don’t understand each other’s history, they can’t see each other’s humanity.”

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About TAAF

TAAF serves the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in their pursuit of belonging and prosperity that is free from discrimination, slander, and violence. Launched 2021 in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate and address the long standing underinvestment in AAPI communities, TAAF invests in best in class organizations working to mobilize against hate and violence, educate communities, and reclaim our narratives through our core pillars of Anti-Hate, Education, Narrative Change, and Resources & Representation. Through our grants, high-impact initiatives and events, we're creating a permanent and irrevocable sense of belonging for millions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. For additional information about TAAF, please visit www.taaf.org.