Public schools shouldn’t close for religious reasons

[rug]

October 15 at 4:00 am
By Valerie Strauss

Some Muslims in Montgomery County are pushing for public school district to close schools on two major religious holidays, including one, Eid al-Adha, that is being celebrated today, according to this Post story by my colleague Donna St. George. Muslims say that their community should be respected in regard to the school calendar in the same way that Christians and Jews are. What’s wrong with that reasoning?

The problem is that American public schools are not constitutionally allowed to close to accommodate any religious need, meaning they aren’t supposed to close for religious reasons (even if Christmas Day is an official federal government holiday). But there is, in fact, a practical secular reason for closing school on some religious holidays in some areas: too many students and/or teacher absences can make it difficult, if not impossible, to hold meaningful classes.

Changing demographics in the United States have made the once uncontroversial school calendar into a hot topic. Muslims as well as Bahais, Hindus, Sikhs and others have urged various school districts to honor their holidays by closing. And some already do.

In some school districts in Michigan, New Jersey and other states where there are heavy Muslim populations, schools do close on Eid al-Adha, which marks the Hajj pilgrimage of Muslims to Saudi Arabia, and Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. A few school districts in New Jersey have closed, too, for the Hindu celebration of Diwali. Schools in heavily Jewish areas close for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/15/public-schools-shouldnt-close-for-religious-reasons/

[Drale]

1. If you want to celebrate your holiday

don't send you kids to school that day or use a sick day or a personal day, its as easy as that. More religious lunatics trying to shove their religion down our throats. It doesn't matter which god you worship, your gonna have nut jobs in your ranks.

[cbayer]

2. I agree with her. If attendance is going to be really low on those days,

they could adapt by having a special activity.

In addition to this being a separation issue, it can be a tremendous burden on working parents. If the holiday is not being pretty universally observed, childcare can become a serious issue.

[cbayer]

4. I think you got your threads mixed up her, my friend.

[LostOne4Ever]

5. O.o

Yeah I think I did

Deleting and reposting

[kwassa]

6. Living in Montgomery County, as I do ...

I am entirely in favor of celebrating Muslim and Hindi holidays. There are certainly many of both religions living here.

[WolverineDG]

7. Solution: Parent's Choice days

back in the olden days when I was in school, every school calendar included 2 "Parent's Choice" Days. Excused absences, no questions asked as to why the parents chose those days. They were mostly used by Jewish kids at Yom Kippur & Rosh Hashahnah, & Catholic kids on Good Friday.

My parents weren't religious, so we got to skip out of school a couple days early at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

[rug]

8. That's not a bad idea at all.

I always let my kids take one day off a year just to get off the treadmill. We call it just for the heck of it day. The only limitation is that it can't be a day where something important is going on, like a test or a project. It helps cut down on the whining the rest of the year. They really think about when to take the day off.

[Deep13]

9. No, they should grant excused absences for them. nt

[rexcat]

10. That is what the school district does...

where we live and the policy seems reasonable.