Public schools shouldn’t close for religious reasons
Hannah Shraim, 14, with her father and mother at home in Montgomery County . She will not attend school on the Muslim holiday Eid. (By Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post.)
Some Muslims in Montgomery County are pushing for public school district to close schools on two major religious holidays, including one, Eid al-Adha, that is being celebrated today, according to this Post story by my colleague Donna St. George. Muslims say that their community should be respected in regard to the school calendar in the same way that Christians and Jews are. What’s wrong with that reasoning?
The problem is that American public schools are not constitutionally allowed to close to accommodate any religious need, meaning they aren’t supposed to close for religious reasons (even if Christmas Day is an official federal government holiday). But there is, in fact, a practical secular reason for closing school on some religious holidays in some areas: too many students and/or
How many times have you heard “whatever it takes to get the job done’ and worried about what it takes? Here’s a piece on how this relates to school reform, by Athur H. Camins, director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. His writing can be accessed at http://www.arthurcamins.com/. Read full article >>