The Solution to the battle of days off with Hogan's calendar

[Anonymous]

Hogan's calendar requirements have meant that some school systems will have to tighten the calendar by removing holidays to be sure to hit the start and end dates. Well, I think there is s solution to this problem (yes it requires legal changes):


When a religious group has x% of the population, that group gets up to 2 holidays off per year in the school calendar. Holidays must occur on a weekday to be granted. In other words, if the holiday is on a Saturday, there is no day off on Friday or Monday to compensate. Then we remove ALL other holidays from the calendar. This means no winter break or spring break. We will get Christmas if it falls on a weekday. We may get Good Friday off as a Catholic holiday. We may get the two Eid holidays if they fall during the school year and on a weekday. We may get Diwali off. We may get the Jewish high holidays off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hogan's calendar requirements have meant that some school systems will have to tighten the calendar by removing holidays to be sure to hit the start and end dates. Well, I think there is s solution to this problem (yes it requires legal changes):


When a religious group has x% of the population, that group gets up to 2 holidays off per year in the school calendar. Holidays must occur on a weekday to be granted. In other words, if the holiday is on a Saturday, there is no day off on Friday or Monday to compensate. Then we remove ALL other holidays from the calendar. This means no winter break or spring break. We will get Christmas if it falls on a weekday. We may get Good Friday off as a Catholic holiday. We may get the two Eid holidays if they fall during the school year and on a weekday. We may get Diwali off. We may get the Jewish high holidays off.

And what do you intend to do on Christmas day when you have 90% of teachers call in sick and no one to teach? Nice try.

[Anonymous]

You mean MD would override federal holidays? Sorry folks! We're not celebrating Labor day, MLK Day, President's day. Forget about Christmas day and Thanksgiving too- all in the name of our Public School calendar!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hogan's calendar requirements have meant that some school systems will have to tighten the calendar by removing holidays to be sure to hit the start and end dates. Well, I think there is s solution to this problem (yes it requires legal changes):


When a religious group has x% of the population, that group gets up to 2 holidays off per year in the school calendar. Holidays must occur on a weekday to be granted. In other words, if the holiday is on a Saturday, there is no day off on Friday or Monday to compensate. Then we remove ALL other holidays from the calendar. This means no winter break or spring break. We will get Christmas if it falls on a weekday. We may get Good Friday off as a Catholic holiday. We may get the two Eid holidays if they fall during the school year and on a weekday. We may get Diwali off. We may get the Jewish high holidays off.

And what do you intend to do on Christmas day when you have 90% of teachers call in sick and no one to teach? Nice try.

The OP specifically mentions Christmas as one of the days that would probably be off based in her x% rule. I don't see anything wrong with this proposal. The one argument I can see is that there is no real break built into the calendar. No fall, winter, or spring break to give everyone a chance to recharge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You mean MD would override federal holidays? Sorry folks! We're not celebrating Labor day, MLK Day, President's day. Forget about Christmas day and Thanksgiving too- all in the name of our Public School calendar!

Ummm...they already don't celebrate all the federal holidays. Are you an MCPS parent? Have you noticed your kids getting up and going to school on Columbus Day and Veteran's Day? (And Labor Day would be taken care of by the Hogan plan anyway.)
I think even with OP's plan, they would still have some days off to burn, so could cover MLK Day if they wanted. I'm not really sure why kids should be off for those days. Shouldn't they be in school, learning about the Presidents and the civil rights leaders? Does anyone get President's Day off work, other than federal workers? Wouldn't you prefer to have your kid in school that day, unless you're going skiing? Where I grew up, we got RODEO off. It's all random selections based on the needs of the school community.

[Anonymous]

Most schools start after labor day... You'll all be fine.

Perhaps they won't cancel school now for threat of snow...

[Anonymous]

Most schools that start after Labor Day don't need on June 15th. Would be nice to have spring break.

[Anonymous]

In places I have lived before, they have the opposite solution: only have winter break over Christmas and separate spring break from any holidays at all. Don't get off any other religious holidays. The end.

[Anonymous]

And, we never celebrated federal holidays at all--even in state schools and especially not in private schools. My parents were feds and had fun doing things while I was in school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most schools start after labor day... You'll all be fine.

Perhaps they won't cancel school now for threat of snow...

This is untrue. Northeastern schools start after Labor Day.

[Anonymous]

But they cancel less for snow and end at the end of June

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But they cancel less for snow and end at the end of June

Exactly. And they definitely get a spring break. Or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But they cancel less for snow and end at the end of June

Exactly. And they definitely get a spring break. Or two.

They also get February vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most schools start after labor day... You'll all be fine.

Perhaps they won't cancel school now for threat of snow...

Yes or start to give off for Diwali and Lunar New Year which are the next two that were asking off this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In places I have lived before, they have the opposite solution: only have winter break over Christmas and separate spring break from any holidays at all. Don't get off any other religious holidays. The end.

That is what all non-secular private schools do. End of 3rd quarter is Spring Break in late March, which makes sense. Most of the time it does not line up with Passover or Easter.

Not sure why MCPS can't do this. Oh wait, that is right. The stupid state rule of Good Friday and Easter Monday for public schools. I am a Catholic and find it ridiculous and I personally don't want my Spring Break around Easter nor do I want the kids out of school for 11 straight days. Take your kids out of school if Good Friday is that important for your family. Easter Monday? Completely made up.