Previously, after careful discussion, on Nov. 13, 2023, the D128 Board of Education voted to approve the new operational calendar for the 2024-2025 school year.
This new calendar would not accommodate religious holidays into the calendar, including Eid, Diwali or Yom Kippur. However, it would accommodate other religious holidays, including Good Friday as, according to surveys sent to families and teachers, 26% of families said that their student wouldn’t be in attendance and 57% of teachers said they would be absent, therefore claiming it as a non-attendance day.
Certain religious holidays, such as Eid, Diwali and Yom Kippur, did not meet these thresholds of where the district couldn’t provide effective instruction to students that do attend school on those days or find enough substitute teachers. At least 88% of staff must indicate that they would be present on these days to provide instruction in addition to at least 75% of students at LHS and VHHS would need to say that they would attend school to keep a school day on schedule.
The creation of the new operational calendar was greeted with mixed feelings, many of frustration in terms of not feeling represented or supported. Especially considering that in past years, for some students, they had many of these holidays off.
In the 2024-2025 school year, students are still faced with conflicted emotions and dissatisfaction about the new operational calendar put in place. Students want their own holidays recognized by the school, as many students value their traditions. Whereas some students can afford to take a day off, other students have no choice but to go to school in order to not miss out on important things in class, such as classroom instruction. Teachers should not be giving tests, according to the district guidance.
However, many teachers are willing to be adaptable and flexible. Teachers can be accommodating with students missing tests, and can even move tests or project deadlines to give students celebrating a more manageable timeframe.
If the district tried to add in religious holidays for certain religions, the district could feel pressured to add in more holidays. Here at LHS, there is a large variety of religions, therefore making it not all that possible to accommodate every single holiday. This would then lead to the school year extending into the summer..
While the operational calendar affects a large number of students, there are some students whom the new calendar didn’t affect much as they didn’t celebrate certain holidays and might just be sitting at home. The operational calendar can be different from person to person, and it can be challenging to find an operational calendar that can please everyone while also accommodating everyone’s beliefs and holidays.
The change in the school’s calendar was driven by logistical and educational concerns, as the school needs to accommodate the needs of students while also ensuring that learning goals are met. While students would appreciate having specific holidays off, having more days off into the school year can put a strain on teachers with figuring out a manageable curriculum. The district tried to view the broader picture when deciding on the operational calendar in Nov. of 2023, as they needed to balance the interests of the majority of students and manage a practical school year.
Additionally, the district has to consider the alignment with state and federal laws, as the school’s attorney during the Nov. 2023 operational calendar decision stated that about 25 of the solutions that the calendar community brainstormed came up with had a chance of causing the district to be sued from about $50,000 to millions of dollars.
Overall, it’s fair to say that there is a complex divide on the issue of the operational calendar and the treatment of students and their religious holidays. Some students are trying to advocate for more inclusivity among the district and to feel more represented among the student body, whereas others recognize the logistical problems that the school has to consider, therefore making it a challenge to include all religious holidays and make every side content. However, as said in the D128 policy, D128 strives for equity, diversity and inclusion for every person within the district, no matter their race, background, ethnicity, religion, gender, etc.
