Public School Calendars Will Now Recognize Two Muslim Holidays

New York City public school students will have two new official holidays as of the 2015-2016 school year: Eid al-Adha on September 24, and Eid al-Fitr during the summer. The new school holidays are in celebration of two of the major holidays celebrated by Muslims around the world — including the city’s growing Muslim-American population.

The move — which does not eliminate any instruction days from the school calendar — comes following a push from Muslim-American advocates for official recognition of these holy days, and as elected officials have increasingly joined them in support for the cause.

Mayor Bill de Blasio described the news as the fulfillment of the city’s “pledge to families that we would change our school calendar to reflect the strength and diversity of our city” and that now “hundreds of thousands of Muslim families will no longer have to choose between honoring the most sacred days on their calendar or attending school.”

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña touted the change as an opportunity for “a teachable moment in the classroom for our students to learn about religious tolerance and the societal contributions of various cultures.”

De Blasio and Fariña made the announcement here in Brooklyn, at P.S./I.S. 30 in Bay Ridge, where 36 percent of the students were absent when Eid al-Adha last fell on an instructional day.

According to the DOE, they join school districts in states such as Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Jersey that also close its public schools in observance of Muslim holidays.

Under the Chancellor’s Regulations, students are allowed an excused absence from school for their religious and cultural observances. However, that excused absence can still come at the expense of missing critical classroom instruction, exams or projects.

The DOE will continue to closely monitor spikes in absenteeism over holidays as it works toward its commitment to serve the needs of all students to ensure equality and respect for families and children of all faiths.

Bay Ridge parent and Muslim-American activist Linda Sarsour also stated that “as a parent of three current New York City public school students, I am so proud of my city today [because] this is what New York City is all about – recognition, inclusion and respect.” Sarsour is a member of the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays and Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York.