Parental/Guardian Consent Letter

Understanding School Climate for Sikh Students in the United States

Dear Parent or Guardian: 

My name is Dr. Kavita Kaur Atwal and I am a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Working with the Sikh Coalition, I am inviting you to allow your child to participate in the study: Understanding School Climate for Sikh Students in the United States. Various studies have shown that Sikh students experience bullying at high rates. We hope this anonymous study will add to that research by helping us better understand school climate factors that Sikh students experience at school. This anonymous information can then be used to guide education efforts. The following information is provided to help you make an informed decision about whether or not to allow your child to participate. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

This study will take approximately 15 minutes of your child’s time. He/she will be asked to complete a survey with questions about feelings of bullying, school activities and policies, and student-teacher relationships. The survey will also ask some basic questions about age, grade, gender, and school. The survey can be taken either with a pen/paper or online. It is up to your child to decide how they would like to take it. If your child chooses to take the survey online, they can access the link on their own device. A drawing for a $25 gift card (100 gift cards are available) will occur. Everyone can be entered in the drawing regardless of participation. If your child does not want to participate, but wants to be included in the drawing, please email me at: kavitaatwal@gmail.com.

If your child feels uncomfortable with any questions, they can stop taking the survey at any time. Additionally, if they are bothered by any questions, they will be encouraged to (1) take a break from the survey; (2) skip and not answer those questions; (3) seek support from their school counselor or school psychologist if needed. For additional support with accessing resources, please email kavitaatwal@gmail.com.

The survey is anonymous. All results of this survey will be kept confidential. The information obtained in this study may be published in scientific journals or presented at scientific meetings, but no identifying information will be used. If you would like to know about the results of this study, please contact Kavita Atwal at kavitaatwal@gmail.com. The results can be shared once the study has been completed. You are free to decide to not allow your child to take the survey. You are also free to withdraw your child at any time without adversely affecting his/her or your relationship with the investigator. Your decision will not result in any loss of benefits to which your child is otherwise entitled. Your child’s rights as a research subject have been explained to you. If you have any questions about this study, please contact Kavita Atwal at kavitaatwal@gmail.com or (408)641-5344. If you have questions about your child's rights or complaints as a research subject, you may contact Solutions IRB at (855)226-4472 or participants@solutionsirb.com. 

You are voluntarily making a decision whether or not to allow your child to participate in this research study. If you do not give consent for your child to participate, please exit this survey.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Kavita Kaur Atwal

The Sikh Coalition 

Solutions IRB

Non-binary is defined as someone who doesn’t see their gender as fitting into the category of just male or female

Please answer questions about the current school year:

Bullying is defined as unwanted behavior done by another youth or group of youths. It happens multiple times or is very likely to happen again. It can be physical (hitting or kicking), verbal (name calling or teasing), social (spreading rumors or leaving out of group), or damaging property of the person being bullied. It can also happen through social media and technology. There is a difference in power, or it seems like there is, between the bully and the person being bullied.

At school/during school means on the school bus, on school premises, field trips, sports practices, after-school activities, carpooling/traveling to and from school

Ethnicity refers to the idea that one is a member of a particular cultural, national, or racial group that may share some of the following elements: culture, religion, race, language, or place of origin. Two people can share the same race but have different ethnicities. For example, among two black individuals one may be African-American and another may be African-Caribbean.

Race refers to characteristics possessed by individuals and groups, such as skin color, facial features, hair, etc.

Racism is when people are treated unfairly because of their race or background. It is a kind of discrimination, and it causes harm to people.