MCPS Removes Religious Holiday Designations from School Calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can always go back to the middle east if they want their holiday-they need to learn "when in Rome.....".

You are really ignorant if you don't know that our country was founded on freedom of religion. IGNORANT!

Actually, you're ignorant if you don't know the origin of English settlers wanting to avoid a state-sponsored religion. Read up on Tudor/Stuart history and get back to us.

The point was never "anti-religion," but rather "people can practice the kind of CHRISTIANITY they choose."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not going to get all up in arms about this. I would not have a problem if they added a holiday and just eliminated the absenteeism pretext. Take one less professional development day or take one day away from "Winter" break. What I don't like is that the debate has devolved into we can't celebrate your religion if you don't celebrate mine so nobody celebrates anything. I think we can and should celebrate and acknowledge the major religions in this country at a minimum for what they are, an important part of our cultural heritage in this country. The attitude that my display of religion offends you is what bothers me. I think at a basic level that is pretty disrespectful.

Who is stopping you from celebrating your religious holidays, and how are they stopping you?

[Anonymous]

It's not that the debate has devolved to "we can't celebrate your holiday unless we celebrate mine." It's far worse. It's devolved to "we can't even mention the name of your holiday"...which is just absurd.

I'm fine with winter break and spring break monikers. But the anti holiday references that have become the new PC standard is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think probably the stupidest thing in the world is closing but not saying the real reason you are closing.

The real reason MCPS is closing is because there would be a lot of absences on that day if they didn't. Or do you think that MCPS celebrates Christmas?

You know what a pretext is right? That is a pretext. They have probably never been open on Christmas so how on earth would they have data for that. Yom Kippur yes, Christmas no chance.

What is closing on Christmas a pretext for?

I think it's a reasonable assumption that if MCPS were open on Christmas, a lot of people would be absent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not that the debate has devolved to "we can't celebrate your holiday unless we celebrate mine." It's far worse. It's devolved to "we can't even mention the name of your holiday"...which is just absurd.

I'm fine with winter break and spring break monikers. But the anti holiday references that have become the new PC standard is ridiculous.

What anti-holiday references?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can always go back to the middle east if they want their holiday-they need to learn "when in Rome.....".

You are really ignorant if you don't know that our country was founded on freedom of religion. IGNORANT!

Actually, you're ignorant if you don't know the origin of English settlers wanting to avoid a state-sponsored religion. Read up on Tudor/Stuart history and get back to us.

The point was never "anti-religion," but rather "people can practice the kind of CHRISTIANITY they choose."

No. It was so they can practice the kind of RELIGION they choose.

Please post the part of the US Constitution that states freedom of religion is for Christians only. BTW dumb ass... Jews are not Christians... so should they go back?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not going to get all up in arms about this. I would not have a problem if they added a holiday and just eliminated the absenteeism pretext. Take one less professional development day or take one day away from "Winter" break. What I don't like is that the debate has devolved into we can't celebrate your religion if you don't celebrate mine so nobody celebrates anything. I think we can and should celebrate and acknowledge the major religions in this country at a minimum for what they are, an important part of our cultural heritage in this country. The attitude that my display of religion offends you is what bothers me. I think at a basic level that is pretty disrespectful.

The problem is it is not just one holiday..There a number of groups that have requested additional holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not that the debate has devolved to "we can't celebrate your holiday unless we celebrate mine." It's far worse. It's devolved to "we can't even mention the name of your holiday"...which is just absurd.

I'm fine with winter break and spring break monikers. But the anti holiday references that have become the new PC standard is ridiculous.

Right. You made my point better than I did. It is the sensitivity issue. I am offended at the acknowledgement of your religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not that the debate has devolved to "we can't celebrate your holiday unless we celebrate mine." It's far worse. It's devolved to "we can't even mention the name of your holiday"...which is just absurd.

I'm fine with winter break and spring break monikers. But the anti holiday references that have become the new PC standard is ridiculous.

Right. You made my point better than I did. It is the sensitivity issue. I am offended at the acknowledgement of your religion.

Who is offended by whose acknowledgement of which religion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not that the debate has devolved to "we can't celebrate your holiday unless we celebrate mine." It's far worse. It's devolved to "we can't even mention the name of your holiday"...which is just absurd.

I'm fine with winter break and spring break monikers. But the anti holiday references that have become the new PC standard is ridiculous.

But that's not what the intent was. Who said anything like this?

[Anonymous]

Then why was the name removed from the calendar?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They can always go back to the middle east if they want their holiday-they need to learn "when in Rome.....".

I was born in DC. Where exactly should I "go back to"?

And no, I don't support this decision. It is ridiculous to turn the request to acknowledge Eid into an objection to the acknowledgement of all religious holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish MCPS would publish stats instead of saying "large numbers". Just be transparent. If say 40% of the MCPS population is out on a religious day and 20% of the teachers have called in for subs--- is that high? Is it 20% students out and 5% of teachers?

The Muslim community is asking for their holidays to be recognized just as the judeo- Christian ones are. MCPSs argument is that there are not enough absentee people to warrant that. That's a fine answer, but at what number would it be warranted?

Today's Washington Post said that in 2013, 5.6% of students and 5% of teachers were absent on Eid al-Adha, which is only slightly higher than a comparable day the previous week. But it doesn't say how high the numbers were for the Jewish holidays before they were added to the calendar in the 1970s.

This change makes sense to me -- the effect is the same, and there really isn't a reason why the school system should be acknowledging certain religious holidays and not others.

The Jewish whine more about it. That is what they go their way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Then why was the name removed from the calendar?

Because it's too hard and complicated to acknowledge other religious groups?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can always go back to the middle east if they want their holiday-they need to learn "when in Rome.....".

I was born in DC. Where exactly should I "go back to"?

And no, I don't support this decision. It is ridiculous to turn the request to acknowledge Eid into an objection to the acknowledgement of all religious holidays.

I'm perfectly fine with MCPS not acknowledging any religious holidays. MCPS is a civil institution, not a religious institution. I'm not Muslim.