APS Holiday 6/6

[Anonymous]

Has any other school district changed their calendar for Eid moving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has any other school district changed their calendar for Eid moving?

Forgot to say NOVA district

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has any other school district changed their calendar for Eid moving?

Forgot to say NOVA district

Not that I’m aware of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When it's time to vote for school board members, someone please remind us all about this vote. I will forget who voted for what and, importantly, who abstained. But someone please remind us all.

Why? You are saying this like it matters.

It's so silly when people post this kind of thing "vote them out!", "I won't vote for them next time".

Ok but you will vote for another Democratic who will do exactly the same thing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When it's time to vote for school board members, someone please remind us all about this vote. I will forget who voted for what and, importantly, who abstained. But someone please remind us all.

Why? You are saying this like it matters.

It's so silly when people post this kind of thing "vote them out!", "I won't vote for them next time".

Ok but you will vote for another Democratic who will do exactly the same thing

Two of the democrats did vote against it.

[Anonymous]

How is this a partisan issue? It was a split vote and they are all Dems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is this a partisan issue? It was a split vote and they are all Dems.

Agreed.
But I'm more disappointed in the unecessary abstentions. Saying "I lack enough information" is a cop out.
School staff put the Board in a lose-lose situation and, while I understand the Board's frustration, the decision was binary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is this a partisan issue? It was a split vote and they are all Dems.

Agreed.
But I'm more disappointed in the unecessary abstentions. Saying "I lack enough information" is a cop out.
School staff put the Board in a lose-lose situation and, while I understand the Board's frustration, the decision was binary.

Absolutely this. It should be an easy no when asked to cancel special education graduation, music competitions, and other events because someone did not see the moon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has any other school district changed their calendar for Eid moving?

Forgot to say NOVA district

FCPS just announced it as a religious observance day. School is in session but tests etc should be avoided if possible. But even there, the email noted that it may be too late to reschedule tests or other events and exceptions will have to be decided on a case by case basis (in other words, your kid can take a test on a different day). All-in-all, seems like the right approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has any other school district changed their calendar for Eid moving?

Forgot to say NOVA district

FCPS just announced it as a religious observance day. School is in session but tests etc should be avoided if possible. But even there, the email noted that it may be too late to reschedule tests or other events and exceptions will have to be decided on a case by case basis (in other words, your kid can take a test on a different day). All-in-all, seems like the right approach.

I think they saw what happened in APS and learned from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year? Oh ww don’t get those holidays but sure this one is so important all end if year activities should be cancelled on short notice and APS is discriminating against Muslims.

There is also the Spring Equinox New Year which is a national holiday in several Western and Central Asian countries. Bonus: it’s on Spring Equinox, very predictable. Not dependent on one Imam in one country seeing the moon on a different day than the Imam in another country 2 weeks ahead of time. That really is non practical unless you are in a Muslim majority country, and should have been thought through before implementation (but we will see how they do with blocking off three days each, maybe it will be a happy solution).

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:“Let’s get rid of all of the new religious holidays.”

Same Breath: “That Busdriver should get his day off too.”

Unserious people sowing discord. You got what you wanted. But let’s argue about a done deal for weeks anyway because none of us have a life.

Sounds like you don’t want any momentum to build around changing the policy to floating holidays.

I support the current religious holidays as days off for APS. And lol there's no momentum aside from your complaining on anon boards. Even Miranda said yesterday publicly that this vote wasn't a moratorium on changing the religious holiday policy.

Just wait until APS starts blocking off three consecutive days for each Eid as “possible” days off. Nothing will be allowed to be planned for those days and no one will know until a few weeks in advance which day will be off. Next year it’s the week after Memorial Day and if Eid moves it will be a one day week. People are gonna get sick of this pretty quick.

That’s precisely what was suggested at the meeting last night. Making sure that principals and PTAs knew they would not be able to schedule anything on the days before and after holidays that were dictated by the lunar calendar.

I don't understand the problem with telling schools not to schedule extra things on those few days. Can someone explain it to me?

Both occur at busy times of year and have an alternative (floating holiday/excused absence)

I think keeping those days clear is best. It would really sad for those kids who end up missing out on the end of year activities. It is also a tough position to put a teacher in if this is a holiday they observe and they've also been working with their kids to plan the end of school activity. Planning things a few days earlier or later doesn't seem as challenging to me, but I realize others might have a different view.

APS needs to get rid of all the religious holidays. But then have clear notices on calendars that events can't be scheduled on those days to respect people observing them.

So people say this but what would happen if we moved winter break to January and uncoupled it from Christmas. If kids had to go to school on Christmas eve. People would be outraged.

Winter break largely aligns across the entire country (with a few days differing on the periphery) so it's a time when families can travel and get together, regardless of your religion. It's common and established part of American culture. My job is closed for those days. Congress is closed for that week. Etc. Winter break doesn't need to change because we choose to use excused absences for religious holidays.

Spring break is less aligned across the country so it's fine if it's no longer tied to Easter, IMO.

We celebrate Easter, including Holy Friday, and Easter Monday, and I’m coming to the point where I’m fine, even happy, if Spring Break is NOT tied to Easter anymore, but I do want those days to remain excused absences, and afforded the same consideration and courtesy as the Muslim holidays, and I feel currently they are not. They would have to be mentioned by name (and that alone would be a first!) so they can be blocked off on the calendar for staff and PTAs, so that nothing important is scheduled by accident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is this a partisan issue? It was a split vote and they are all Dems.

Agreed.
But I'm more disappointed in the unecessary abstentions. Saying "I lack enough information" is a cop out.
School staff put the Board in a lose-lose situation and, while I understand the Board's frustration, the decision was binary.

Absolutely this. It should be an easy no when asked to cancel special education graduation, music competitions, and other events because someone did not see the moon.

Agree it should have been an easy “no”! However, the intent to quietly cancel it all and present it as a done deal, and the one “yes” vote for me were the worst. Not sure, if Sutton was ready to personally refund 70K+ to Jefferson families alone. And Duran, what was he thinking?!