At its July meeting, Council Rock school directors considered updating the 2023-24 district calendar to include the Muslim Holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Muslims around the world celebrate this holiday (which usually falls in mid-April) as the end of the month-long Ramadan.
Several high school students asked the board to add the day, which is commonly referred to as Eid, as a district-recognized holiday where students would have a holiday.
“The Council Rock School District is upholding and preserving a school calendar that does not reflect the demographic changes of our community and the changes it has gone through over the past couple of years,” said Council Rock South rising junior Iman Aziz.
She continued, “By doing this you are giving out the message that Muslims and their Islamic Holidays are less important than others. Not only is it hurtful, but also completely wrong.” She added that over 400 people have signed a change.org petition to add Eid as a Council Rock holiday.
Fellow student Malory Marsan said, “This day is not as joyous for Muslim students in our district because the school day gets in the way. Whether that be most of the day being spent in school or the whole experience being soured the next day with the loads of work that they miss.”
She added, “This is especially troubling for those who are in AP, honors, or any other rigorous courses. There is no reason that an entire religious population in our district should have to pick between their education and their religion.”
Another Council Rock South rising junior said, “Some may argue that students could just take the day off and it would be fine, but many students are forced not to take the day off and attend school which forces Muslim students to miss seeing their long-distance relatives and celebrating this very holy holiday”.
The board seemed receptive to the idea of adding Eid as a district holiday, with members Michael Thorwart, Marianne Mckee, Kristin Marcell, and Edward Salamon vocalizing their support. Mckee also asked Superintendent Dr. Andrew Sanko why the district would have to wait until the 2023-24 school year to implement the holiday.
Dr. Sanko explained that the official 2022-23 district calendar has already been approved, and when combined with all schedules the district is working on, the board was looking at changing upwards of 200 calendars to accommodate the new holiday.
But he did add, “When Dr. Thorwart and I met with that student, I committed that if we could not do it this year and it was the direction of the board, we would do our best to do it next year. And in the interim, we would ask our teachers to be mindful not to assign homework the night before, the day of, and no exams as well.”
Salamon echoed other board members’ thoughts on adding holidays important to different cultures, saying “We have to be open because they’re coming, they want to be in Council Rock, they’re coming from all over and we should know this might be a reality for many years to come.”
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