Earlier start date proposed for MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This new calendar will really impact families that have kids moving into middle school and high school.

I know this past August we had one entering each and they both had some type of mock day or orientation the week before the actual start of school. If the new calendar holds up these days will be held the week of 8/15 thereby eliminating another full week of vacation for some people.

I agree. Though maybe they will have that day on 8/22. That would be two days before like it typically is.

Apparently it is not wise to expect consistency in one's school calendar. Though, I swear in my 13 years of schooling, it was exactly the same except for the specific dates - always the same pattern.

Because the school district had a backbone back then AND we didn't try to compromise for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Christmas is a state and federal holiday.

So are Columbus Day and Veterans Day.

And they were taken away for Jewish holidays. What is your point? Do you want to have school on Christmas Day? 96% of of Christians and 80% of non-Christians celebrate Christmas in the US which is 91% of the country. That is actually MORE people than any non-religious holiday including Thanksgiving where only 83% celebrate. Sure the school can say they will open. Even if they forced teachers and staff to come in, there would be 3-4 kids tops in each class that would show up. But yes, keep proving your point on Christmas. It isn't getting old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Christmas is a state and federal holiday.

So are Columbus Day and Veterans Day.

And they were taken away for Jewish holidays. What is your point? Do you want to have school on Christmas Day? 96% of of Christians and 80% of non-Christians celebrate Christmas in the US which is 91% of the country. That is actually MORE people than any non-religious holiday including Thanksgiving where only 83% celebrate. Sure the school can say they will open. Even if they forced teachers and staff to come in, there would be 3-4 kids tops in each class that would show up. But yes, keep proving your point on Christmas. It isn't getting old.

They were? You were in Montgomery County before MCPS started closing for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (whenever MCPS started doing that; I still don't know when that was), and before then, MCPS closed for Columbus Day and Veterans Day?

[Anonymous]

I really hope the board realizes this was a mistake.

[Anonymous]

They might realize that doing a wholesale calendar adjustment is a mistake, but I think they will find it difficult to roll back the Eid recognition. Unless they decide it is on a weekend this year and ask for MCPS staff to plan for it for next year.

[Anonymous]

Why is it not clear what the date of the holiday is?

[Anonymous]

The chart I saw indicated sundown on 9/12/2016, but
"The Islamic calendar is lunar and the days begin at sunset, so there may be one-day error depending on when the New Moon is first seen."

[Anonymous]

22:16 here, meant to add, another online resource indicated Sundown on Saturday Sept. 10, 2016.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it not clear what the date of the holiday is?

Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar one and months can be 29 or 30 days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Christmas is a state and federal holiday.

So are Columbus Day and Veterans Day.

And they were taken away for Jewish holidays. What is your point? Do you want to have school on Christmas Day? 96% of of Christians and 80% of non-Christians celebrate Christmas in the US which is 91% of the country. That is actually MORE people than any non-religious holiday including Thanksgiving where only 83% celebrate. Sure the school can say they will open. Even if they forced teachers and staff to come in, there would be 3-4 kids tops in each class that would show up. But yes, keep proving your point on Christmas. It isn't getting old.

They were? You were in Montgomery County before MCPS started closing for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (whenever MCPS started doing that; I still don't know when that was), and before then, MCPS closed for Columbus Day and Veterans Day?

Yes the same exact year, 1973 for MCPS and 1979 for HCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They might realize that doing a wholesale calendar adjustment is a mistake, but I think they will find it difficult to roll back the Eid recognition. Unless they decide it is on a weekend this year and ask for MCPS staff to plan for it for next year.

MCPS can't just decide when a religious holiday falls for logistic purposes. If it did, I imagine it could shift all pesky "moveable feast" holidays like Yom Kippur and Christmas to weekends.

[Anonymous]

So we won't know when the holiday is until the moon is visible?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So we won't know when the holiday is until the moon is visible?

yeah, something like that. But I don't know whose view of the moon determines the visibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They might realize that doing a wholesale calendar adjustment is a mistake, but I think they will find it difficult to roll back the Eid recognition. Unless they decide it is on a weekend this year and ask for MCPS staff to plan for it for next year.

MCPS can't just decide when a religious holiday falls for logistic purposes. If it did, I imagine it could shift all pesky "moveable feast" holidays like Yom Kippur and Christmas to weekends.

PP here, and I did not mean arbitrarily decide - it seems that there is legitimately a range of possible dates, starting with Sundown on Saturday 9/10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So we won't know when the holiday is until the moon is visible?

yeah, something like that. But I don't know whose view of the moon determines the visibility.

Many people, especially those that go by ISNA, find it acceptable to scientifically calculate the moonsighting, which works fine Ramadan/Eid-al-Fitr. But 9/11/16 or 9/12/16 is Eid-al-Adha, which follows Hajj, which is dependent on Mecca's moonsighting's. I think that's why this is more complicated. But in Muslim countries, Eid is usually consider a 3-day celebration, so it's not like the 9/12 holiday will be a waste, even if the first day is 9/11.

It's great the BOE is acknowledging and making celebrating certain holidays easier for Muslim staff, faculty, and students, but THE WAY they are doing it is unnecessarily building resentment. I wish they'd just said no, rather than complicating things by messing around with the start date.