Anonymous
05/30/2025 19:29
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Reid just sent out the following. Apparently nobody has figured out how to predict where the moon will be, so FCPS needs to insert a surprise O day and schedule additional graduation ceremonies.
Reid wrote:Dear FCPS Community,
I am writing to share an update on FCPS’ school calendar following a recent shift in the planned observance dates for Eid al-Adha, a religious holiday observed by many of our students, staff, and families.
Until a few days ago, the holiday was anticipated to begin at sundown on Friday, June 6. Due to this week’s updated lunar sightings, the holiday now begins at sundown on Thursday, June 5, and continues through Friday, June 6, one day earlier than originally anticipated and planned. We understand that globally, some mosques vary in their interpretation of this date change.
We are working to support our students and staff who observe Eid al-Adha, while recognizing that there are important events and activities including graduations, that we are not able to shift at this late date. With that in mind, the following changes are planned:
The evening of Thursday, June 5, will now be designated as a modified observance evening (i.e., O day).
Friday, June 6, will now be a modified observance day (i.e., O day), allowing students to be excused from school without academic penalty for the duration of the observance.
We are unable to reschedule graduations for the two high schools scheduled for the evening of Thursday, June 5. These schools will be in communication with students and families to announce alternative plans to recognize this milestone for those who cannot attend due to the change in date of the holiday.
During observance days, activities such as quizzes, tests, field trips, or FCPS-scheduled athletic contests typically will not occur. However, due to the late date change, there is a need to modify the observance day expectations. During this modified observance period, all activities that cannot be rescheduled at this late date will continue as planned. Students observing the holiday will be provided an alternative day after the holiday to make up their work.
Due to the likely number of transportation staff celebrating this holiday, there may be some bus delays on Friday, June 6. Families can use the Bus Delay Notification System or use the FCPS Mobile App to receive the bus delay information should it become necessary.
I appreciate your understanding as we work to remain responsive to our diverse community, while we are just days away from the end of the school year.
Take Good Care,
Dr. Michelle C. Reid
Superintendent
Families will have possible bus delays (a particular problem for those with elementary and/or special needs students) due to the unpredictability of moon sightings causing some people to possibly call off work.
This is ridiculous.
What exactly do you expect the school district to do. They are anticipating and warning what may happen if too many call out that day. You could always become a bus driver.
We had unreliable trash service for awhile, and I became a trash truck driver because I was so frustrated.
I can't do EVERYthing.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 19:28
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:Aren't we a secular public school system?
🙄
You know that we are. But tell me why spring break and winter break coincide with the Christian holidays?
Pretty sure there are lots of staff they would be out so that’s part of the calculus.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 19:20
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:They would have, but it's too late. It's true that they shouldn't but the would have if they'd known earlier.
There was a point they were giving at least two major Jewish holidays off.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 19:18
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:They would have, but it's too late. It's true that they shouldn't but the would have if they'd known earlier.
I don't think so based on the universal outrage, even from muslim parents, when FCPS tried to cancel AP exams 3 months out, over the change in the lunar cycle.
I had a senior that year. Her AP test (and it was something like APUSH that affected 1/2 the class) got pushed to the makeup day— which was about a week after she was supposed to be done with APs. Then they tried to cancel the second AP day, when she also had a test. Which would have meant that tests would have also gone to the makeup day too— and the makeups were scheduled at the same time. She had an AP scheduled on both fake Eid and real Eid, and would have only been allowed to take one of the tests (and she ultimately got college credit for both). I absolutely hit the roof. Muslims should be free to celebrate Eid and schools should make reasonable accommodations. It’s why there is a makeup day. My child should not be forced to give up college credit because of someone else’s religion.
And, of course, this was COVID times, so if my kid had gotten sick, the makeup day would not have been available.
There is a makeup date. It can be used because a child is celebrating a religious holiday. Fair accommodation. It should not be forced on all kids.
This was also under the “you can’t teach new material, test students, play sports, schedule any event at all” on any “O Day” rules. And we ran into FCPS not letting our kids choose the robotics completion weekend they wanted (5 weekends, you compete on 2, you choose which— maybe not prom weekend, etc). And they tried to say kids couldn’t participate in VHSL sports and completions on O Days— it’s grate you made all state orchestra. You can’t go, because it’s on an O DAY. INSANE. There ended up not being a senior spring music trip because they ran out of weekends once spring O Days were counted, the spring play, prom, etc were considered. Again, ridiculous. Especially for a peer group that had been in lockdown the prior year.
Freedom of religion includes freedom from religion. When they hit the point my agnostic high school kids misses ECs and academic opportunities because of someone else’s religious beliefs, FCPS should absolutely have been sued.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 18:56
Subject: Re:Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Ironically, if FCPS didn't have so many religious holidays, we could get out early enough to avoid this problem entirely.
I mean not to get all Religious, but Amen.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 18:02
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:They would have, but it's too late. It's true that they shouldn't but the would have if they'd known earlier.
I don't think so based on the universal outrage, even from muslim parents, when FCPS tried to cancel AP exams 3 weeks out, over the change in the lunar cycle.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 18:02
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:They would have, but it's too late. It's true that they shouldn't but the would have if they'd known earlier.
I don't think so based on the universal outrage, even from muslim parents, when FCPS tried to cancel AP exams 3 months out, over the change in the lunar cycle.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 17:52
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Maybe keep religion out of public schools. Or, easier, end school before Memorial Day.
No kidding. We start earlier and earlier and still end “late”.
Ironically, if FCPS didn't have so many religious holidays, we could get out early enough to avoid this problem entirely.
For this year, sure, but this Eid moves earlier next year. The Islamic calendar is based on the lunar calendar which is notably shorter than the standard calendar we use. This means holidays move a few weeks earlier every year. The last time this happened was for the other Eid (the one to end Ramadan) that was 2ish months ago.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 17:25
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
FCPS loves religion except Jews and Christians.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 17:13
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
They would have, but it's too late. It's true that they shouldn't but the would have if they'd known earlier.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 17:02
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Maybe keep religion out of public schools. Or, easier, end school before Memorial Day.
No kidding. We start earlier and earlier and still end “late”.
Ironically, if FCPS didn't have so many religious holidays, we could get out early enough to avoid this problem entirely.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 17:01
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What obligations do people who observe Eid have to do on the day? Are they not allowed to work that day? It’s crazy to me that FCPS gives Diwali off because most festivities are in the evening and people are perfectly capable of going to work or school on Diwali. Wondering what’s required on Eid.
Not sure but could be similar to why someone else prefers entire day off on Christmas.
Big difference. The date of Christmas is the same. When did we find out about Eid date? Within the last day or so.
Kind of short notice to change the school calendar.
How does labeling the calendar as an O day impact you if you don't celebrate the holiday? It literally doesn't.
A couple years ago, FCPS cancelled AP exams on the day they expected Eid to occur.
AP exams only occur on one date per subject, worldwide.
About 3 weeks before the calender date for Eid, the same thing with the moon happened, so FCPS tried to cancel AP exams on a second date. The original Eid date was still canceled, so we ended up with 2 AP dates cancelled for Eid.
Parents, even many muslim parents, hit the roof over that one.
There were many complaints that cancelling APs for the entire district for a purely religious holiday was FCPS forcing every high school student with APs that day to recognize and observe a religous holiday not their own. It really was a public school endorsement of one specific religion.
The outrage was so swift and large that FCPS buckled in around a day, allowing the AP exams to go on as scheduled on the 2nd Eid day. But they still refused to allow FCPS students to take their AP exams on the original, incorrect Eid.
While I understand the desire of muslim families to have Eid recognized in the calendar, making any schedule adjustments to the secular public school system for a holiday without set dates, where the date changes 3 weeks out, is a completely inappropriate and unfair public school endorsement of one religion over everyone else's belief systems. In the case of the AP exam from a few years ago, and some of the 8th grade promotion parties being cancelled or rescheduled by FCPS this year at the last minute, is a completely wrong approach because it forces all the students to observe a religious holiday, in the way a set holiday date that does not change does not.
All of this. 100%.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 17:00
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I am confused because Eid was a couple months ago
Eid literally means festival or feast. There are 2 big Muslim holidays, eid al-fitr and eid al-adha, literally the feast to end the fast and the feast of sacrifice. Many people refer to both as "eid".
Eid-al-fitr happened at the end of Ramadan a few months ago. Eid al-adha is this week. Google is your friend.
Thank you for explaining the difference, but the prior poster clearly didn't care as it was discussed a few posts prior. Just another troll stirring **** up.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 16:46
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What obligations do people who observe Eid have to do on the day? Are they not allowed to work that day? It’s crazy to me that FCPS gives Diwali off because most festivities are in the evening and people are perfectly capable of going to work or school on Diwali. Wondering what’s required on Eid.
Not sure but could be similar to why someone else prefers entire day off on Christmas.
Big difference. The date of Christmas is the same. When did we find out about Eid date? Within the last day or so.
Kind of short notice to change the school calendar.
How does labeling the calendar as an O day impact you if you don't celebrate the holiday? It literally doesn't.
A couple years ago, FCPS cancelled AP exams on the day they expected Eid to occur.
AP exams only occur on one date per subject, worldwide.
About 3 weeks before the calender date for Eid, the same thing with the moon happened, so FCPS tried to cancel AP exams on a second date. The original Eid date was still canceled, so we ended up with 2 AP dates cancelled for Eid.
Parents, even many muslim parents, hit the roof over that one.
There were many complaints that cancelling APs for the entire district for a purely religious holiday was FCPS forcing every high school student with APs that day to recognize and observe a religous holiday not their own. It really was a public school endorsement of one specific religion.
The outrage was so swift and large that FCPS buckled in around a day, allowing the AP exams to go on as scheduled on the 2nd Eid day. But they still refused to allow FCPS students to take their AP exams on the original, incorrect Eid.
While I understand the desire of muslim families to have Eid recognized in the calendar, making any schedule adjustments to the secular public school system for a holiday without set dates, where the date changes 3 weeks out, is a completely inappropriate and unfair public school endorsement of one religion over everyone else's belief systems. In the case of the AP exam from a few years ago, and some of the 8th grade promotion parties being cancelled or rescheduled by FCPS this year at the last minute, is a completely wrong approach because it forces all the students to observe a religious holiday, in the way a set holiday date that does not change does not.
Anonymous
05/30/2025 16:35
Subject: Is FCPS considering closing for Friday June 6 now that Eid begins earlier?
Anonymous wrote:I am confused because Eid was a couple months ago
Eid literally means festival or feast. There are 2 big Muslim holidays, eid al-fitr and eid al-adha, literally the feast to end the fast and the feast of sacrifice. Many people refer to both as "eid".
Eid-al-fitr happened at the end of Ramadan a few months ago. Eid al-adha is this week. Google is your friend.