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I noticed that this year there are a ton of school closings across various districts for all kinds of strictly-religious holidays like Yom Kippur. At the same time, the schools are dumping strictly-religious holidays like Good Friday. I don't care about any of those holidays, but it looks to me like the public schools are discriminating in favor of a small minority of students/teachers. Has anyone else noticed this?
I think it greatly depends on what district one is in as to whether it is indeed a "small minority," but I think closing for celebrations for any mythical sky parent are a pretty dumb thing in the first place.
Agreed schools shouldn't conform to a minority. The Jewish holidays are okay because they fit the fabric of Judeo-Christian nation of which the majority of Americans are, as for Christian Holidays there are only two days a year.
I think closing for celebrations for any mythical sky parent are a pretty dumb thing in the first place.
I completely agree. I have to waste 3 vacation days this month because my kids' school is closed due to Jewish holidays. That's pretty ridiculous considering I'm not Jewish (nor do I practice any religion). There is no reason a public school should close for any religious holiday. If a child celebrates any of those holidays it should be an excused absence from school.
Agreed schools shouldn't conform to a minority. The Jewish holidays are okay because they fit the fabric of Judeo-Christian nation of which the majority of Americans are, as for Christian Holidays there are only two days a year.
No, it's not ok and the majority of Americans do not celebrate Jewish holidays. I don't know where you're getting your information from.
It’s going to get to a point where they are going to have to cancel all religious holidays and just let kids take floating days for their own holidays.
They can’t give off for all of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays (and any others)
What districts don't close for Good Friday? I think districts close based on the composition of their district. My district would probably have 20% absentee rate on Yom Kippur but I see other districts in the same county that are open Yom Kippur.
Growing up in New Jersey, I remember our school district, as well as the one I later taught in, having the Fall Jewish holidays off. The reasoning was that there wouldn't be enough substitutes to cover the teacher/staff absences on those days. So, as it would be excusable for students to miss the days~having to secure subs for up to 1/3 of the teachers and support staff for the days would be a tough task. By contract, these days were to be excused absences (outside of personal days or sick days) for teachers of the practicing religion~leaving the remaining teachers having to teach. In the long run, it was an administrative and contractual nightmare.
i think that there should be no religious holidays for schools unless they legitimately cant staff on those days. even still, i think that they should handle staffing in the beginning of the year and make sure there is no issues in any religious holiday. christian is the biggest group but do i seriously believe that they cant go to work on good friday? how many of them are actually going to church?
Wow. Public schools get paid per pupil and for every pupil that attends school on any given day. if enough kids don't go to school on that given day, the school doesn't get paid and the school loses money.
Most of the time Jewish kids (and parents) take the day or days off according to their level of observance. All the kids who practice non christian religions have to do the same.
The antisemitism (for all non christian religions) on this thread is really appalling.
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