Diwali peition

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They make the decisions on the basis of the volume of kids and teachers who would be absent to observe their religious holidays. Christmas, of course, is also a national holiday in the U.S.

I fully support having teachers lighten the homework load around religious observances, but if the schools close for every, yes, minority religious observance then the school year would go on ad infinitum. Sometimes I think that the push for school holidays is more about groups who seek to have the governments recognize and validate "their" days rather than based on holiday conflict that impacts a large number of students and staff.

No, they don't. They make the decisions based on:

1. state law (Western Christmas plus 4 days over Western Easter), which the General Assembly presumably passed in response to people asking them to do things
2. something they started doing in the 1970s, based on people asking them to do things and numbers they can no longer find
3. people asking them to do things now

If you don't want MCPS to close on Diwali, Eid, or other "minority" religious holidays, then start by asking your state legislators to get rid of the ridiculous Christmas-and-Easter law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I doubt 50% of MCPS students are practicing Christians FWIW.

I am positive over 50% of MCPS celebrates Christian holidays. 90% of Americans celebrate Christmas. 80% of non-christian Americans celebrate Christmas. It is basically a national secular holiday these days.

But can you still haven't answered my question what you consider a high percentage of MCPS celebrate Diwali? My guess was 5% and that is not a high percentage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I doubt 50% of MCPS students are practicing Christians FWIW.

I am positive over 50% of MCPS celebrates Christian holidays. 90% of Americans celebrate Christmas. 80% of non-christian Americans celebrate Christmas. It is basically a national secular holiday these days.

But can you still haven't answered my question what you consider a high percentage of MCPS celebrate Diwali? My guess was 5% and that is not a high percentage.

You should first explain what your idea of an acceptable cut-off is, why you think there should be an acceptable cut-off, and why you think it's ok for schools to close for any religious holidays, including the religious holidays the schools already close for.

[Anonymous]

I think the next thing we are going to see is demands for employers to recognize as holidays days that minorities view as important to their religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the next thing we are going to see is demands for employers to recognize as holidays days that minorities view as important to their religion.

The next thing? Employers have been required to recognize their employees' religious observances for at least 50+ years now. See Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

[Anonymous]

So much outrage against this. You'd think the petition was for something actually harmful or outlandish.

Yet you love to brag to others how you're kids have friends from all over the world in their schools. How you love the diversity, the exposure to other languages and food.

But actually recognizing anything beyond what benefits you is just plain crazy talk?

If you love living in a diverse area but don't want to recognize anything beyond the superficial perks that you benefit from or like, what does that actually say about you?
About the community as a whole towards minorities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So much outrage against this. You'd think the petition was for something actually harmful or outlandish.

Yet you love to brag to others how you're kids have friends from all over the world in their schools. How you love the diversity, the exposure to other languages and food.

But actually recognizing anything beyond what benefits you is just plain crazy talk?

If you love living in a diverse area but don't want to recognize anything beyond the superficial perks that you benefit from or like, what does that actually say about you?
About the community as a whole towards minorities?

You're assuming that the people who agitate against recognizing the religious holidays of "minorities" (through recognizing the religious holidays of "majorities" is evidently ok) also brag about the diversity of Montgomery County. I don't think that this assumption is correct. I think that many, if not most, of these people wish that it were still 1975 in Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much outrage against this. You'd think the petition was for something actually harmful or outlandish.

Yet you love to brag to others how you're kids have friends from all over the world in their schools. How you love the diversity, the exposure to other languages and food.

But actually recognizing anything beyond what benefits you is just plain crazy talk?

If you love living in a diverse area but don't want to recognize anything beyond the superficial perks that you benefit from or like, what does that actually say about you?
About the community as a whole towards minorities?

You're assuming that the people who agitate against recognizing the religious holidays of "minorities" (through recognizing the religious holidays of "majorities" is evidently ok) also brag about the diversity of Montgomery County. I don't think that this assumption is correct. I think that many, if not most, of these people wish that it were still 1975 in Montgomery County.

That may be true of some for sure. But there are plenty of places in the great vast land of America to go live if you don't want to see anyone other than white, Christians in your community.

That's not Montgomery County 2016, evolve or live in the past?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the next thing we are going to see is demands for employers to recognize as holidays days that minorities view as important to their religion.

The next thing? Employers have been required to recognize their employees' religious observances for at least 50+ years now. See Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

I think the PP meant the demand will be to close on these holidays. Just like we are asking the schools to. Because really, what is the difference?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the next thing we are going to see is demands for employers to recognize as holidays days that minorities view as important to their religion.

The next thing? Employers have been required to recognize their employees' religious observances for at least 50+ years now. See Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

I think the PP meant the demand will be to close on these holidays. Just like we are asking the schools to. Because really, what is the difference?

What is the difference between a public school system and a private employer? I can think of some differences. Maybe you can too.

[Anonymous]

NP, and another Hindu. I know not all jobs work this way, but in the case of my work (research-based), I could easily work Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, etc, and take off Hindu holidays. Most of my colleagues are similarly working on research projects with flexible due dates.
I do wish more companies would just give vacation time/holidays as a 'bank'. If the work gets done, why does it matter? I would happily work Xmas Eve/Xmas in exchange for Diwali. I realize not all jobs are like this, but a fair number of them are already, or could be, with some tweaking.

I understand the concern about kids getting off for Diwali/Eid in MCPS and their parents having to arrange for care (who don't get off from work), but there is probably some work-around if we looked for it. A single-day camp? or perhaps still having school as scheduled, but not making it a day where kids have tests, for example, and maybe instead focusing on cross-cultural studies. IDK what the solution is, but just saying 'you're such a small group, your holidays don't matter' is rather sad for such a supposedly pluralistic society.

The strong reactions are baffling. In India, where Christians make up only 3% of the population, my parents always got off from school/work for Xmas Eve and Xmas (and this was in the 50s and 60s!). And I don't actually think of India as an open-minded place but in this instance, its far ahead of the States.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP, and another Hindu. I know not all jobs work this way, but in the case of my work (research-based), I could easily work Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, etc, and take off Hindu holidays. Most of my colleagues are similarly working on research projects with flexible due dates.
I do wish more companies would just give vacation time/holidays as a 'bank'. If the work gets done, why does it matter? I would happily work Xmas Eve/Xmas in exchange for Diwali. I realize not all jobs are like this, but a fair number of them are already, or could be, with some tweaking.

I understand the concern about kids getting off for Diwali/Eid in MCPS and their parents having to arrange for care (who don't get off from work), but there is probably some work-around if we looked for it. A single-day camp? or perhaps still having school as scheduled, but not making it a day where kids have tests, for example, and maybe instead focusing on cross-cultural studies. IDK what the solution is, but just saying 'you're such a small group, your holidays don't matter' is rather sad for such a supposedly pluralistic society.

The strong reactions are baffling. In India, where Christians make up only 3% of the population, my parents always got off from school/work for Xmas Eve and Xmas (and this was in the 50s and 60s!). And I don't actually think of India as an open-minded place but in this instance, its far ahead of the States.

First off no one here is saying your holidays do not matter, or at least what I read.

Two, the reason you are able to bank around and get off on your holidays IS because kids are in school and those not celebrating Diwali will work while you are at home celebrating your holiday.

Three, religious holidays have always been an excused absence in the school system. I have never met a teacher that did allow a child 2 or usually more days to make up any work or tests they may have missed.

Four, the reason your family probably had off is similar to many reasons people are off on Christmas worldwide. Many countries declare it a holiday. There is no international or national business going on. It is an easy day for employers to not pay their employees to come in. There are however many jobs in the US and outside the US that do not have off on their own holidays. Retail, emergency, medical, drug stores, etc... That is just how life is.

Five, I honestly agree that having no tests and a more cultural day at school for minority holidays sounds like a wonderful idea.

[Anonymous]

I wonder what percentage if indian celebrate diwali. My indian friend fron south indian said they dont celebrate diwali. He told me that that are thousands of religions. To people outside, they all indians. But within they all belong to different religoin or tribes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what percentage if indian celebrate diwali. My indian friend fron south indian said they dont celebrate diwali. He told me that that are thousands of religions. To people outside, they all indians. But within they all belong to different religoin or tribes.

About 80% of the residents of India celebrate Diwali.

[Anonymous]

Please, please no more. If you celebrate a holiday that is not a MOCO holiday, please just take your kid out of school for that day. We do not need to shut down an entire school system for every holiday specific to a cultural group so that we appear to be culturally, politically, whatever correct. We are going over-board on this shiz.