Debate
Grows As U.S. Schools Adjust Calendars To
Observe Muslim Holidays
As an increasing number of U.S. public schools
adjust their calendars to observe Muslim
holidays, a debate is growing over how far
schools should go to accommodate minority
religious populations -- and where they should
stop. Federal and state laws prohibit schools
from penalizing students
for missing school on religious holidays. In
many school systems, these have long included
Good Friday and the Jewish holidays of Yom
Kippur, Rosh Hashanah and Passover. In many
districts with sizable Catholic or Jewish
populations, schools have traditionally closed
on these holidays. But now the list of
religious holidays increasingly includes Eid
al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and
Eid al-Adha, which honors the Prophet Abraham.
Some schools no longer administer tests on
those holidays; others won't schedule school
events, including sports activities, on the
night before the holidays; and some districts
are choosing to close their schools entirely.