Reply to APS Holiday 6/6

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think we should keep religious holidays.  APS screwed up here by 1) allowing schools to plan end of year activities around a holiday that can move, and 2) NOT clearly commutation to parents that there could be a calendar change. The note from Duran on Wednesday didn’t even explain why the change was being proposed so late in the year.

Poor planning. Poor communicating. [/quote]

I agree with your numbered points 1 and 2 completely.  But I also think religious holidays (except the federal holiday of Christmas Day) need to go.  The only way to respect everyone's religious traditions is to offer a certain number of excused absences.  If they hold school on Christmas Eve (assuming that is even operationally possible), so be it, we can use an excused absence.[/quote]
I think they should try this and see how many Muslims come to defend the rights of Christians to have their holiday off. [/quote]

Why should they have to?  When we have religious holidays for SOME people, yeah, of course others want to be included.  I get that.  But since [b]we can't accomodate everyone [/b] and since some holidays can't be planned in advance, the religious holidays just need to go.  Excused absences should be the accommodation for all. [/quote]

I strongly disagree with the bolded.  I think this is the kind of sentiment has been disproven again and again each time a hegemonic group learns they are better and stronger when they are inclusive.  We just need to figure out how to make space for everyone.  I'm not saying it will be easy every time, but I do think it is possible, and I think history supports this conclusion.[/quote]

DP. [b]So we are accommodating the Orthodox Christian  bus driver who spoke last night? Are we accommodating  families who celebrate Lunar New Year, but are told it’s just “cultural” and not religious, so too bad?[/b]  No. We are not and cannot accommodate everyone by having days off. Unless you meant by having no religious holiday that isn’t a federal holiday off, and offering excused absences. We could do that. [/quote]

Yes, I’ve wondered about that.  Religion is always placed high above culture here, so I see the orthodox holidays coming before Lunar New Year on this trajectory.  And shortly after, APS will throw their hands up and get rid of all of them as holidays.  They will point to FFX, and avoid admitting how impractical it all was. [/quote]

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