On February 5, after a severe snowstorm forced schools to close for a week, the MCPS Board of Education made the controversial decision to turn March 20 into an instructional school day, though it was originally scheduled to be a day off in observance of Eid al-Fitr. Two weeks later, the Board reinstated the day off but added four more days to the end of the school year.
Eid al-Fitr is arguably the most important holiday of the year for many Muslims. It marks the end of the month of Ramadan, a thirty-day period of fasting from dawn to dark during which the verses of the Quran were first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
After the decision to turn Eid al-Fitr into an instructional day, MCPS faced harsh backlash from Montgomery County politicians and members of the local community, which is one of the most culturally diverse in the nation. The county is home to over 30,000 Muslim residents.
Muslim communities across the county made sure their voices were heard after Eid was turned into a school day. Walt Whitman High School junior Zaki Ilias said that many Muslim students and parents at his school spoke out against the decision.
“I know that some Muslim kids and parents, we went to our principal, Mr. Miller, and we sent emails and talked to him, and he completely stood by us, and he took what we said and made sure to talk to the superintendent about it.” Ilias said. “This should be a holiday for everybody. There should be a day where everybody gets to understand that we’re getting today off because it’s a Muslim holiday, and we shouldn’t have to go to school because our fellow Muslims are practicing their religion. It would be unfair towards Muslims if there’s school going on alongside a holiday.”
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School teacher Zubaydah Madyun mentioned that teachers would have had to use a vacation day if they observed Eid because the district didn’t communicate any accommodations for Muslim teachers.
Maryland’s chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) ran a campaign of emails addressed to the Board of Education demanding the holiday be reinstated as a non-instructional day. The project resulted in 11,250 letters being sent.
In an online statement, Councilmember-At-Large Evan Glass said, “The Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr should never be treated as a ‘make-up’ school day. Montgomery County must respect all religious holidays.”
District 5 Councilmember Kristin Mink said, “Muslim families should never have been told that they, and they alone, would need to give up observing a previously accounted-for holiday for their kids to receive equal instructional time.” Mink urged the school system to consider an alternative plan.
The advocacy worked.
On February 19, the Board of Education published a statement that said, “Today, the Board accepted the Superintendent’s recommendation for two actions: 1) to restore March 20th as a non-instructional day for professional learning; and 2) to add four instructional days to extend the school year.”
The Board did not provide a reason for the restoration of the day as a Non-Instructional Day in the statement.
The Board of Education was unable to field a board member for an interview when contacted and instead offered a written response. They said, “Honoring significant religious and cultural observances is part of fostering an inclusive environment where all students can thrive.”
In the February 19 meeting, where the Board members voted unanimously to reinstate March 20 as a non-instructional day, Board members had the opportunity to speak on the decision. A concerning piece of information that was shared during the meeting was that Eid has already been designated as a possible snow make-up day for next year as well.
District Four Representative Laura Stewart said, “The calendar we already passed for next year also has a day designated as a make-up day that also coincides with Eid.…I want to thank the advocacy, I heard it loud and clear.”
The reinstatement of March 20, Eid al-Fitr, as a non-instructional day shows the power of local advocacy and the importance of cultural respect to the local community. There has been vast concern among the school community about extending the calendar to the fourth week of June, but the decision to reinstate Eid al-Fitr is one that the Board of Education has made clear will stand.
Written by Jaasim Zaman
Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons