Closing School for the Holidays - Whose Holidays? Deciding How Schools Handle Holidays Is a Simple Yet Powerful Way to Demonstrate the Values on Which This Country Was Founded
2011; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 93; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1940-6487
Autores Tópico(s)Jewish Identity and Society
ResumoIn the 1930s, the students in District 73.5 in Skokie, Ill., on Chicago's North Shore were all white and mostly Christian. Thirty years later, more than half the population was Jewish. With significant numbers of Jewish teachers and students, Skokie followed other districts in the area and closed schools for the Jewish High Holy Days. But in the 1980s and 1990s, District 73.5's immigrant population exploded. By the 1990s, more than half of its students came from homes where a language other than English was spoken--a total of more than 60 languages. The Jewish population slowly decreased but the number of Jewish teachers and support staff remained, as did the perception that the North Shore was predominantly Jewish. In spite of the change in the student body, the Jewish holidays remained a prominent part of the district's calendar. Until 1997, approving the school calendar was a perfunctory school board action. But that year the school board voted to keep schools open during the Jewish holy days, reasoning that keeping schools open for all religious holidays was the most fair and equitable way to demonstrate commitment to all ethnic and religious groups, regardless of their numbers. Not surprisingly, not everyone agreed with this decision. Some Jewish teachers felt it was unfair to expect them to use personal days to cover absences for religious holidays. Jewish community and board members felt insulted and disrespected by the reversal of a policy set in the 1960s. Nonpartisan community members said any decision about holidays should be based on the number of students from various religious groups. Other board members supported the decision because they believed the district had been sending the wrong message all along, disrespecting other ethnic and religious groups by closing schools for one religion's holidays. Some teachers were upset, as they were told what they could and could not teach on certain days so students wouldn't be penalized for being absent to observe their religious holiday. And many families wanted District 73.5, one of five elementary feeder districts in Skokie, to adopt the same calendar as the high school district to minimize disruptions. EXAMPLES OF NATIONAL AND VARIOUS RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS DURING TWO SCHOOL MONTHS APRIL 2012 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FR IDAY 2 3 4 5 Maundy 6 Good Friday Thursday Theravadin New Year Hanuman Jayanti Mahavir Jayanti 9 Passover 10 11 12 13 PassoverHoly Theravadin Passover Passover Passover Friday (Orthodox) New Year 16 17 18 19 Yom 20 HaShoah 23 St. George 24 25 26 27 Yom Ha'Atzmaut Day 30 MAY 2012 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDY 1 Beltane-Samhain 2 12th Day 3 National 4 of Rivdan Day of Prayer 7 8 9 10 Lag 11 B'Omer 14 15 16 17 Ascension 18 Day 28 Memorial 29 Ascension of 30 31 Day Baha'u'llah Shavuot Since 1997, the annual calendar discussion has become emotionally charged. Every December, the superintendent provides calendar options to the board along with data on the number of students absent for various religious holidays, substitutes hired, and information on the calendars of nearby school districts. Community members and teachers often share their passions for or against keeping schools open, and the local newspaper publishes several articles or letters to the editor. …
Referência(s)