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New York schools may close for Muslim holidays

We got an Easter break when I was in school. I realize it's called something else now, but that doesn't change anything.
Actually if you check most calendars, Spring Break is no longer aligned with Easter unless it's convenient. Even in Boise, if Easter fell too early or too late, there was no "Easter" holiday off, no Monday off, no Friday off. And Boise is essentially 50% Catholic and 50% Mormon.
 
Which schools do this? I know of few, if any, which don't simply schedule a spring break around the same week every year whether or not it actually coordinates with Easter, the date of which varies considerably from year to year.

It's not by schools, but by states and cities. Good Friday has the most recognition across the country. For instance, on Easter Monday Texas, Maryland, North Dakota observe it. Cities in New York, Michigan, and Indiana also observe.
 
Try delivering that message to the (I'm sure very large) majority of parents with respect to Christmas. :)

x-mas is more a cultural holiday at this point. My entire family is pretty much none observant, but we all celibate Christmas as a time to spend together and exchange gifts.

I can't say the same about Eid
 
Which schools do this? I know of few, if any, which don't simply schedule a spring break around the same week every year whether or not it actually coordinates with Easter, the date of which varies considerably from year to year.
In Texas when I was growing up they did this, but that was all we had for Spring Break, it you will. That's years ago and I have no clue if it is still that way. But I've not seen it in any school or district outside of NE San Antonio in my school years.
 
But hopefully, one day we'll get rid of such nonsense and simply call it for what it is: Two weeks off where we pretend we're Christians by doing everything Christ advocated against.

lol

12345
 
Muslims aren't any more special than the Christians whose holidays get official recognition.

Besides, there is literally no cause to worry about anyone falling behind, just end school for the year a couple of days later. Ta-da!

Well, not really...

There's two common "Christian Holidays"

Easter and Christmas.

Since schools aren't generally in session on Sundays, easter isn't given off. Good Friday sometimes is, but I've never known it to be given off FOR Good Friday in "respect to the Christian Religion". It's usually given under some other name.

Then you have Christmas. While most schools seem to have gone to "Winter Break", some seemingly do still potentially do Christmas.

However the issue with Christmas is strangely the same issue with marriage.

Christmas is both a Religion and Secular entity at this point in our society.

There is "Christmas" the private holiday potentially celebrated by Christians concerning the birth of Jesus Christ.

Then there is "Christmas" the official Federal Holiday, which is secular in nature and does not directly require a "religious" element anymore than "Marriage" does.

The argument claiming that religious arguments are irrelevant in the "Marriage" debate because when talking about the term in relation to the government it doesn't involve religion equally applies to Christmas. When talking about it from the statement of a federally recognized holiday, it doesn't involve religion.
 
Which schools do this? I know of few, if any, which don't simply schedule a spring break around the same week every year whether or not it actually coordinates with Easter, the date of which varies considerably from year to year.

The school I went to did it and still does it, even if they don't call it Easter break officially.

Also, at the very least NYC schools have their 2014 spring break scheduled around Easter.
 
For some people it is, for some people it isn't.

Yes, and no one celebrates Eid in the US in a similar manner to the description of x-mas above. hence, it's a poor analogy
 
It's not by schools, but by states and cities. Good Friday has the most recognition across the country. For instance, on Easter Monday Texas, Maryland, North Dakota observe it. Cities in New York, Michigan, and Indiana also observe.

OK, then some schools do. That is moving much, much further away from the norm, though.
 
Why do they have to be closed? Parents can be allowed the option of not bringing kids to school.

that's what all the jewish and orthodox kids did in my school
 
When you establish a break in the school schedule for a religious holiday, changing what you call that break doesn't change what the break is -- a religious holiday break.

Well I don't see a problem with scheduling a break that is needed anyway around a known multi-religious time of year. A single religion's time of year, ie only Christmas, then I have a problem.
 
OK, then some schools do. That is moving much, much further away from the norm, though.

Perhaps so, but it is an established reality in many areas. For clarification purposes as well, one can have an Easter break as well as a spring break. We, for instance, grew up with that, and still have it.
 
Perhaps so, but it is an established reality in many areas. For clarification purposes as well, one can have an Easter break as well as a spring break. We, for instance, grew up with that, and still have it.
True enough, but things are changing against it, not for it. Seems allowing for Muslim holidays is heading in the wrong direction. The vague, somewhat well timed, "Spring" or "Winter" breaks and personal days off make more sense and toe the state v church line much better without stepping on anyone's rights.
 
I see it like this, schools should make religious holidays days off for the school when they reach a point where a certain percentage of the students/staff/both are likely going to miss that day anyway to observe that holiday because it is pointless to have class when you will just have to repeat that class for a good portion of the students. And if enough of the staff takes off school for a religious holiday then there simply wouldn't be enough staff available (there are only so many substitute teachers).

Hopefully this is the reason that anyone would give those holidays off to all instead of just counting that as a completely excused absence for those few who may take it off.
 
Well, not really...

There's two common "Christian Holidays"

Easter and Christmas.

Since schools aren't generally in session on Sundays, easter isn't given off. Good Friday sometimes is, but I've never known it to be given off FOR Good Friday in "respect to the Christian Religion". It's usually given under some other name.

Then you have Christmas. While most schools seem to have gone to "Winter Break", some seemingly do still potentially do Christmas.

However the issue with Christmas is strangely the same issue with marriage.

Christmas is both a Religion and Secular entity at this point in our society.

There is "Christmas" the private holiday potentially celebrated by Christians concerning the birth of Jesus Christ.

Then there is "Christmas" the official Federal Holiday, which is secular in nature and does not directly require a "religious" element anymore than "Marriage" does.

The argument claiming that religious arguments are irrelevant in the "Marriage" debate because when talking about the term in relation to the government it doesn't involve religion equally applies to Christmas. When talking about it from the statement of a federally recognized holiday, it doesn't involve religion.

I think you're sort of putting the cart before the horse. Christmas has become a holiday which receives secular recognition because of the large numbers of Americans who celebrate it as a religious holiday. That doesn't make it any less of a religious holiday, nor does it mean that public schools aren't recognizing or breaking for a religious holiday. Marriage, on the other hand, is so multi-cultural that you can't really associate it as belonging to a specific religion, and official recognition of secular marriage has many legal purposes.
 
Well I don't see a problem with scheduling a break that is needed anyway around a known multi-religious time of year. A single religion's time of year, ie only Christmas, then I have a problem.

I'd prefer the solution proposed by someone else, giving kids X number of days per year they can be legally absent.
 
True enough, but things are changing against it, not for it. Seems allowing for Muslim holidays is heading in the wrong direction. The vague, somewhat well timed, "Spring" or "Winter" breaks and personal days off make more sense and toe the state v church line much better without stepping on anyone's rights.

I'm not so dead set against them, personally. Then again, I also like Blue Laws. However, I would say it becomes realistic enough that holidays have to account for a disproportionate amount of students being gone for the dates that requires adjustment (as Roguenuke has stated). As many are probably aware in rural areas, the opening of hunting season is very nearly treated as a holiday, and that is due to a large number of students taking part in the season.
 
I think you're sort of putting the cart before the horse. Christmas has become a holiday which receives secular recognition because of the large numbers of Americans who celebrate it as a religious holiday. That doesn't make it any less of a religious holiday, nor does it mean that public schools aren't recognizing or breaking for a religious holiday. Marriage, on the other hand, is so multi-cultural that you can't really associate it as belonging to a specific religion, and official recognition of secular marriage has many legal purposes.

Christmas is a holiday though that is celebrated by so many in the US though that it is only practical to not have school on at least that day. In general though, since Christmas falls at a really good time of other holidays and it seems to be a good time for students to get a break, plenty of religions are covered by the "Christmas" break (which is generally becoming "winter break" in most places). And the practicality of having a school opening with so many people out and the likelihood of a certain portion/percentage of the students/staff/both being out is what should be the most important factor with whether a school is open or not for any religious holidays or other things. I'm pretty sure this is a large part of the reasoning for snow days. You could have students that live so close to the school that they might be playing right there at the school anyway during the snow day, but a good portion of the school and staff might not be able to make it in due to where they live.
 
I'd prefer the solution proposed by someone else, giving kids X number of days per year they can be legally absent.

They do. The school district should have advertised how many days a student can miss, which is a result of compulsory education, rather than considerations of holiday.
 
Christmas is a holiday though that is celebrated by so many in the US though that it is only practical to not have school on at least that day. In general though, since Christmas falls at a really good time of other holidays and it seems to be a good time for students to get a break, plenty of religions are covered by the "Christmas" break (which is generally becoming "winter break" in most places). And the practicality of having a school opening with so many people out and the likelihood of a certain portion/percentage of the students/staff/both being out is what should be the most important factor with whether a school is open or not for any religious holidays or other things. I'm pretty sure this is a large part of the reasoning for snow days. You could have students that live so close to the school that they might be playing right there at the school anyway during the snow day, but a good portion of the school and staff might not be able to make it in due to where they live.

I think it's just as appropriate to make a break for Christmas (whatever the other justifications) as it is to make a break for any other religious holiday. If one is okay, the other must be okay too.
 
I'd prefer the solution proposed by someone else, giving kids X number of days per year they can be legally absent.
That I agree with. There would still be a Winter Break and Spring Break and Summer Break, those are happening regardless. So those and X number of personal days. Perfection.
 
We cannot allow a specific religions holiday, unless we allow all religions a holidays.
 
I think it's just as appropriate to make a break for Christmas (whatever the other justifications) as it is to make a break for any other religious holiday. If one is okay, the other must be okay too.

The break isn't for Christmas exactly though. Not now anyway. We can justify the Christmas break from the very fact that there are going to be a number of students and staff that are simply not going to come to school on Christmas. But if you only have one or two students or staff out of a 300 student school not coming in because of some other holiday, then it would be pointless to close school to accommodate such a small percentage of those at the school. It would be a waste of time. It doesn't matter what the religion was the holiday was important to.

If I plan to keep my kids home from school on "Talk Like a Pirate Day", should the school shutdown on that day just because I personally feel that it is important to my religious beliefs? But what if half the school was going to do this and told the school as such beforehand? Then should the school be shutdown? Having a small percentage of students not in class would only mean ensuring those few students are filled in. But having half the class or more absent means that there is a very good chance that the teacher will have to reteach the entire day anyway just to ensure the class doesn't fall behind.
 
New York schools may close for Muslim holidays





This is the problem with mixing religion and state. If you want your kids celebrating your religious holidays, they can go to religious charter schools - or better yet - don't bring them to school that day. You don't have a right to make everyone else observe your religious events.

Better yet. Have the liberals quit preventing school vouchers. Kid might stand a chance at a decent education and parents could choose what type school to send their kids to.
 
Better yet. Have the liberals quit preventing school vouchers. Kid might stand a chance at a decent education and parents could choose what type school to send their kids to.
Fair enough, but only if regulations are put in place to put tuition caps or like the ACA give supplement to those at or below a certain poverty level so it remains possible for any child to get a good education. Otherwise this just ends up being glorified segregation by class.
 
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