How DO we get the calendar changed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We should not have these holidays off or as observance days-
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Diwali
Eid al Fitr
Eid al Adha

But spring break should be aligned with Easter and of course we need a full two weeks off around Christmas.

I never said that but don't live in a country like the US that was "founded" by Christians and then complain about spring break being close to Easter or time off at Christmas- the HORROR. It's like you all have no idea where you live? Bes t of luck as you move to another country then and complain about them having holidays around their culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We should not have these holidays off or as observance days-
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Diwali
Eid al Fitr
Eid al Adha

Sounds about white.

If my kids go to a Jewish school, they don't celebrate all the Christian and Pagan holidays so enough with your virtue signaling. My "whitness" can't move to move to India and demand the entire country to give all "whites" paid days off for American holidays? Your insistent cultural neediness is exhausting and disruptive to the learning of ALL students. If you want cultural handholding go to an international school, not public.

Wrong. Public caters to ALL, whether you like it or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Spring break should align with Easter. Even many secular countries in Europe provide time off around Easter, so this is a reasonable middle ground.

Are you sure those countries are secular? Easter is not the same time every year but if spring break is aligned with Easter it should be the week following Easter not the week before. If going by a secular schedule (this is public school afterall) spring break should follow the 3rd quarter. If going by Easter spring break should be the week AFTER Easter. The week before Easter doesn't make any sense since Easter floats and school resumes the day after for students sometimes and teachers every year. While the week after Easter also floats it at least eliminates having school the next day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Spring break should align with Easter. Even many secular countries in Europe provide time off around Easter, so this is a reasonable middle ground.

Are you sure those countries are secular? Easter is not the same time every year but if spring break is aligned with Easter it should be the week following Easter not the week before. If going by a secular schedule (this is public school afterall) spring break should follow the 3rd quarter. If going by Easter spring break should be the week AFTER Easter. The week before Easter doesn't make any sense since Easter floats and school resumes the day after for students sometimes and teachers every year. While the week after Easter also floats it at least eliminates having school the next day.

Private schools, even many Christian private schools in the area (not catholic), have spring break the last 10 days of March. If it doesn’t coincide with Easter, the more religious schools may offer Good Friday and/or Easter Monday but spring break is the end of March regardless of when Easter is. It is possible to decouple the spring holiday from Easter. Just saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We should not have these holidays off or as observance days-
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Diwali
Eid al Fitr
Eid al Adha

Sounds about white.

If my kids go to a Jewish school, they don't celebrate all the Christian and Pagan holidays so enough with your virtue signaling. My "whitness" can't move to move to India and demand the entire country to give all "whites" paid days off for American holidays? Your insistent cultural neediness is exhausting and disruptive to the learning of ALL students. If you want cultural handholding go to an international school, not public.

Wrong. Public caters to ALL, whether you like it or not.

It’s not catering to anyone with this calendar. Just saw a HS teacher on Facebook saying that all the holidays have completely negated the entire rationale for starting school before Labor Day, which was to give more time to prepare for SOLs. But I guess lower achievement is fine as long as we hold space for everyone and they feel seen!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to write your school board members and then you need to engage them where they care which is politics.

All of the schoolboard members are liberal and many are progressive. This calendar is *not* progressive and disproportionately impacts lower-income and dual-working families. Women and hourly workers are supposed to be constituencies democrats care about. So raise the issue with local league of women voters, canvassers/fundraisers who are trying to get support for other democratic candidates (especially if you’ve donated before) and directly ask school board members how they are contributing to the affordability agenda with their calendar choices.

It is idiotic that this is how any of this works. But COVID created the idea for many Democrats that liberals don’t mind keeping kids out of school and now its course correction.

Our liberal school board argued that starting before Labor Day was an equity issue because the poor kids needed more instructional days before the AP exams. They literally just make up any excuse to push a certain agenda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to write your school board members and then you need to engage them where they care which is politics.

All of the schoolboard members are liberal and many are progressive. This calendar is *not* progressive and disproportionately impacts lower-income and dual-working families. Women and hourly workers are supposed to be constituencies democrats care about. So raise the issue with local league of women voters, canvassers/fundraisers who are trying to get support for other democratic candidates (especially if you’ve donated before) and directly ask school board members how they are contributing to the affordability agenda with their calendar choices.

It is idiotic that this is how any of this works. But COVID created the idea for many Democrats that liberals don’t mind keeping kids out of school and now its course correction.

Our liberal school board argued that starting before Labor Day was an equity issue because the poor kids needed more instructional days before the AP exams. They literally just make up any excuse to push a certain agenda.

All AP students need more instructional days before the exams and fewer after. They sit around for an entire month after taking them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We should not have these holidays off or as observance days-
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Diwali
Eid al Fitr
Eid al Adha

Sounds about white.

If my kids go to a Jewish school, they don't celebrate all the Christian and Pagan holidays so enough with your virtue signaling. My "whitness" can't move to move to India and demand the entire country to give all "whites" paid days off for American holidays? Your insistent cultural neediness is exhausting and disruptive to the learning of ALL students. If you want cultural handholding go to an international school, not public.

You're talking (complaining) about days off for five RELIGIOUS holidays, then start rambling about moving to India and demanding Caucasians have days off for "American" holidays?

Never knew RELIGIOUS holidays were geographically based LOL

America = Country. Diwali = Religion. Make it make sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We should not have these holidays off or as observance days-
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Diwali
Eid al Fitr
Eid al Adha

Sounds about white.

If my kids go to a Jewish school, they don't celebrate all the Christian and Pagan holidays so enough with your virtue signaling. My "whitness" can't move to move to India and demand the entire country to give all "whites" paid days off for American holidays? Your insistent cultural neediness is exhausting and disruptive to the learning of ALL students. If you want cultural handholding go to an international school, not public.

Wrong. Public caters to ALL, whether you like it or not.

But we are punishing everyone trying to cater everyone! no one is getting what they need with this calendar. Life is not fair, but but literally have a calendar that does not work so everyone can have a day off when they need it is punishing every one else. Church and state are separated in this country.

I celebrate Christmas and if you want to have school that day or that week, fine. I will take the day off for my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We should not have these holidays off or as observance days-
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Diwali
Eid al Fitr
Eid al Adha

Sounds about white.

If my kids go to a Jewish school, they don't celebrate all the Christian and Pagan holidays so enough with your virtue signaling. My "whitness" can't move to move to India and demand the entire country to give all "whites" paid days off for American holidays? Your insistent cultural neediness is exhausting and disruptive to the learning of ALL students. If you want cultural handholding go to an international school, not public.

Wrong. Public caters to ALL, whether you like it or not.

WRONG. They shouldn't pander to the minority.

[Anonymous]

Wait till college and they don't get every single cultural observance days off. How will you ever survive? Thoughts and prayers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You're talking (complaining) about days off for five RELIGIOUS holidays, then start rambling about moving to India and demanding Caucasians have days off for "American" holidays?

Never knew RELIGIOUS holidays were geographically based LOL

America = Country. Diwali = Religion. Make it make sense.

You’re getting caught up in semantics. The intent is clear even if the wording isn’t perfect. And to clarify, Diwali is widely celebrated in India, primarily by Hindus.

In Fairfax County Public Schools, Hindu students make up about 2.4% of the total student population. Given that, it’s reasonable to question whether a religious observance like Diwali should result in a system-wide school observance that impacts the remaining 97.6% of students. For context, in India, school holidays for religious observances typically reflect populations with a significant presence in a given area. Smaller minority populations—whether Christian, Hindu, or otherwise—don’t always drive national or regional school closures. At 2.45%, the population is typically not considered significant enough to warrant system-wide calendar changes, regardless of location.

[Anonymous]

The national economy is heavily based around traditional, American and often Christian holidays. These include: the usual Fed holidays of President's Day, MLK Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving. Now Juneteenth etc... Christmas of course and regionally dependent winter or spring break that may align with Easter. If not, Good Friday is usually given as the market is closed. Let's get back to that. You want to miss school for a family cultural celebration - go for it. But our historical American Cultural celebrations should be continued while the day to day cultural upheaval that enormous migration and immigration has put on us continues to shake out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We should not have these holidays off or as observance days-
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Diwali
Eid al Fitr
Eid al Adha

Sounds about white.

If my kids go to a Jewish school, they don't celebrate all the Christian and Pagan holidays so enough with your virtue signaling. My "whitness" can't move to move to India and demand the entire country to give all "whites" paid days off for American holidays? Your insistent cultural neediness is exhausting and disruptive to the learning of ALL students. If you want cultural handholding go to an international school, not public.

You're talking (complaining) about days off for five RELIGIOUS holidays, then start rambling about moving to India and demanding Caucasians have days off for "American" holidays?

Never knew RELIGIOUS holidays were geographically based LOL

America = Country. Diwali = Religion. Make it make sense.

Nobody gets these days off in the real world, only FCPS. It’s stupid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We should not have these holidays off or as observance days-
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Diwali
Eid al Fitr
Eid al Adha

Sounds about white.

If my kids go to a Jewish school, they don't celebrate all the Christian and Pagan holidays so enough with your virtue signaling. My "whitness" can't move to move to India and demand the entire country to give all "whites" paid days off for American holidays? Your insistent cultural neediness is exhausting and disruptive to the learning of ALL students. If you want cultural handholding go to an international school, not public.

Wrong. Public caters to ALL, whether you like it or not.

But we are punishing everyone trying to cater everyone! no one is getting what they need with this calendar. Life is not fair, but but literally have a calendar that does not work so everyone can have a day off when they need it is punishing every one else. Church and state are separated in this country.

I celebrate Christmas and if you want to have school that day or that week, fine. I will take the day off for my kids.

And so will 90% of the rest of the students, teachers, support staff, bus drivers and federally connnected folks.

FCPS could not function on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, through January 1st. Only a handful of students and even fewer staff would attend.