Public schools shouldn’t close for religious reasons [View all]

[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/