Anonymous wrote:I thought this was why they created 0 days, so kids who want to take off the day to celebrate a religious holiday wouldn't miss any new material at school. The way they're doing the calendar these days makes no sense at all.

Anonymous wrote:I thought this was why they created 0 days, so kids who want to take off the day to celebrate a religious holiday wouldn't miss any new material at school. The way they're doing the calendar these days makes no sense at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is so crazy. Does any other country in the world close their schools US holidays like Thanksgiving, Independence Day or Memorial Day?

(and yes, I know that other countries celebrate their own version of Thanksgiving, but I am referring to our Thanksgiving that commemorates the Pilgrims' arrival)

Those are not religious holidays

Anonymous wrote:It is so crazy. Does any other country in the world close their schools US holidays like Thanksgiving, Independence Day or Memorial Day?

(and yes, I know that other countries celebrate their own version of Thanksgiving, but I am referring to our Thanksgiving that commemorates the Pilgrims' arrival)

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Anonymous wrote:Why are we off again next week?

November has the lowest number of school days of any full month of school - 14!

Even December (Winter Break) and April (Spring Break) have more school days.

How screwed up is this school calendar?

Since it has the legally required number of instructional hours, it is not screwed up at all.

I am so sick and tired of this reply. Children should be in school in November. Consistency will is key. School after SOLs should barely count as legal. For a week, most kids only watch movies.

Actually, no, they have shown that a school year with smaller, more frequent breaks are a much better model for kids than a long summer break.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are we off again next week?

November has the lowest number of school days of any full month of school - 14!

Even December (Winter Break) and April (Spring Break) have more school days.

How screwed up is this school calendar?

Since it has the legally required number of instructional hours, it is not screwed up at all.

I am so sick and tired of this reply. Children should be in school in November. Consistency will is key. School after SOLs should barely count as legal. For a week, most kids only watch movies.

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Anonymous wrote: • Schools can close for religious holidays if there is a secular, non-religious reason.
• Justifications include significant anticipated absences disrupting operations.
• Closures ensure the maintenance of educational standards and reduce administrative burdens.
• Must comply with the First Amendment, avoiding endorsement of any religion.
• Community feedback and past attendance data can influence decisions.
• Primary reason for closure must be practical and operational, not religious.

So, just so I follow your argument.

FCPS can schedule their winter break and spring break around Christian holidays for "practical reasons", and every weekend around the Christian sabbath for "practical reasons". But if they give Diwali off that's "endorsing Hinduism" whatever that means?

This schools could not function if they (stupidly) tried to operate on Christmas.

Diwali? We went to school for dozens of years with no issues. There's no operational reason to take Diwali off.

Over the past "dozens of years," our schools' Hindu and Sikh population, both students and staff, has grown exponentially. I used to have one or two students who celebrated Diwali, but now it is close to half my class most years.

So what? If those parents choose to take their kids out of school for a day, that's on them. Why should thousands of other students miss a day of school for a religious holiday?

Think through what you wrote.

If approximately half the class is Hindu, Jain, or Sikh, that means the other 50% are likely a mix of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and non-denominational/non-religious. That means the students celebrating Diwali are the MAJORITY, not even close to the minority.

Let's just say tje class is 50% Hindu, 20% Christian, 10% Jewish, and 20% Muslim. You'd want the MAJORITY of students to just be called out for the day, but I'm guessing you'd lose your mind if we had school on Christmas even though only 20% of the students celebrate that holiday.

If 50% of one class in one school is absent, the other 183 thousand students should be able to go to school.

Anonymous wrote:You really can’t make blanket statements like that. Maybe your kids need to be in school everyday, but my high schoolers really needed this break. They’ve been putting in late nights and weekends for the past 2 months. I wish they could have a 5 day weekend after every quarter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are we off again next week?

November has the lowest number of school days of any full month of school - 14!

Even December (Winter Break) and April (Spring Break) have more school days.

How screwed up is this school calendar?

Since it has the legally required number of instructional hours, it is not screwed up at all.

Anonymous wrote:Live in actual India if you want schools off for Diwali.