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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]They are absolutely ridiculous!

No one wants surveys.  Just fix the silly calendar in a manner that minimizes all these fragmented weeks![/quote]

You can’t fix the calendar without getting rid of religious/cultural holidays in an extraordinarily diverse county.  Constituents of those communities should have the say on whether those days are student holidays.  If Indians are good with school on Diwali, great.  If Jewish folks are good with only one of Rosh/Yom and Muslims are good with only one of the Eid’s, also great.  But, no, you can’t have a bunch of white/black school board members simply stating that we aren’t going to observe the non-Christian holidays anymore because parents are annoyed that they have to find child care.[/quote]

Some of the holidays recognized are for populations in the low single digits,  where the numbers of student and staff taking off is less than an average stomach virus running through an elementary school

The days off should be based on pre O day attendance numbers, period.  Pick a set number of absences, say 5%, and only give those holidays off.  Give liberal make up options to those who practice smaller religious holidays where school is in session.

Stop putting teachers workdays on the cultural and religious holidays that have miniscule numbers of absences.  I can shave off a full week plus one by just being practical.   For example:

The Ds have a supermajority.  FCPS needs to simply request that their friends in Richmond eliminate the mandated Kings Dominion Friday, a state forced holiday 10 days into the school year.  Simply call Rachna and Laura Jane and make it happen.

Day of the Dead/All Saints Day is NOT a holiday celebrated in the US to the point of needing a day off school.  Yes, it is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics, but there are almost hourly Mass options within 15-20 minutes of every FCPS resident, including evening options.    Stop masking that religious/cultural holiday with an unnecessary teacher workday.

Eliminate Bohdi Day and Theravada.  There are fewer than 10,000 Buddhists in all of Fairfax County, and not every sect celebrates both holidays  Adherents to this fairh in FCPS is in the very low single digits.  There is zero justification to not have the other 99% of FCPS students and teachers in school that day.  Be generous with the make up policy for the handful of kids at each school that are practicing Buddhists.

Eliminate Orthodox Epiphany.  There are only 3 orthodox churches in all of Fairfax County.  The numbers do not justify giving Orthodox holidays off.  Be liberal with the make up policies.

Remove Lunar New Year as a fake teachers workday.  We do not celebrate Lunar New Year in the US like they do in Asia, not even us asian families.  Lunar New Year should be a regular school day with regular assignment policies, no O day and no special accommodations.

Leave Eid, Rosh Hoshona, Diwali, etc.  The populations ars smaller, but more significant than the 1%-2% of the Buddhist and Orthodox holidays, and non culturally significant nature of Day of the Dead and Lunar New Year, or the pointlessness of Kings Dominion Friday.

Easy and done.

https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&t=0&c=51059

https://www.oca.org/parishes/state/VA[/quote]
Easy and done, except:

-You need stare legislation to remove King Dominion Friday, so that’s not for next year. 
-All Saints Day is sandwiched between the end of quarter and Election Day and that day along with Indigenous People day is often used for parent teacher conferences. 
-Lunar New Year is on a weekend next year and the following year it will be an instructional day. 
-Next year there is school on Bodhi day.

At best you can get back Theravada New Year which is aligned with the end of the third quarter. [/quote]

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