Anonymous wrote:This HR presentation is preposterous. They are admitting to race discrimination in hiring. Trying to match teacher demographics to students.

I can’t recall the last time there was a leadership hire that wasn’t a minority

Anonymous wrote:Expect Orthodox Easter off next year, someone spoke on it tonight and momentum is on their side now. If they cancel Shriver graduation and music competitions there’s no way they’ll say no. I’d venture staff and student Eastern Orthodox population is equal to or greater than the Muslim population

Definitely. A lot of Ethiopians and Eritreans.

This policy is ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:Expect Orthodox Easter off next year, someone spoke on it tonight and momentum is on their side now. If they cancel Shriver graduation and music competitions there’s no way they’ll say no. I’d venture staff and student Eastern Orthodox population is equal to or greater than the Muslim population

Right? Where does it end.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, this isn’t helping foster good feelings about equity and inclusion. The board should think about the resentment they are causing towards minority religious groups when they plan poorly like this.

+1

This HR presentation is preposterous. They are admitting to race discrimination in hiring. Trying to match teacher demographics to students.

Anonymous wrote:They should have never started with these minority holidays. Give excused absences. So lame.

By minority, I mean minority religious groups.

Expect Orthodox Easter off next year, someone spoke on it tonight and momentum is on their side now. If they cancel Shriver graduation and music competitions there’s no way they’ll say no. I’d venture staff and student Eastern Orthodox population is equal to or greater than the Muslim population

They should have never started with these minority holidays. Give excused absences. So lame.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, this isn’t helping foster good feelings about equity and inclusion. The board should think about the resentment they are causing towards minority religious groups when they plan poorly like this.

Speaker 1:33 in is a bus driver and said is orthodox Christian and says only needs 1 day to be off to go to church and pray and that is Good Friday which he says some neighboring counties get but APS does not. Agree that doing floating for Eid would have this gentleman bewildered as to why his religion doesn’t count the same for treatment.

Anonymous wrote:Is this going to happen every year? Is there a range of dates where Eid may fall that is reasonably known? I guess I don't understand how planning can be done for a district the size of APS when there is a floating holiday.

Apparently the date shifts by weeks from year to year due to the lunar calendar. Each particular instance can vary by a day or so because of something about the required observance is the moon a month before the actual holiday.

Anonymous wrote:Is this going to happen every year? Is there a range of dates where Eid may fall that is reasonably known? I guess I don't understand how planning can be done for a district the size of APS when there is a floating holiday.

Then there was the poor old bus driver who said he just wanted one day recognized- Orthodox Good Friday.

Anonymous wrote:Two Muslim speakers asking for the day off. One speaker says there are families with about 100 students who belong the Clarendon Islamic Center who attend APS.

TJ mom was a good speaker saying hundreds band/music/choir Students affected if the Hershey Park music festival cancelled b/c of June 6th and its the LAST possible date for the festival. Students have been working all year and everything is already paid for and asked if they can they still go voluntarily.

The TJ people and the Shriver people, this is really terrible. 😞

Anonymous wrote:Did they vote already?

No. Still on the HR presentation.

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they will make them move the Shriver graduation.

And as much as I respect them asking for volunteer activities, I don’t know if that is such a clear line. If you have dances, janitors may have to work.

It’s a cop out. I understand why they feel the pressure to be “nice” when they’re up there in person. But this won’t change until people just say “I don’t care about your religious celebration. Skip school if you want. Unless the number of people skipping disrupts the operations of the school, then school should be open.”

I mean really. If I were a conspicuous religious minority looking for accommodation, I’d definitely be against any process that deprives middle schoolers of field trips or cancels graduation ceremonies just so I can “feel included.” At this point, if you want those things, you’re a jerk.

Did they vote already?