Faith or school? Children face hard choices

When her daughters were children, Khadija Athman packed the major Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha with celebration.

They opened gifts and covered their hands in henna. After prayer, they had breakfast at a pancake house before spending the day at the movies and Chuck E. Cheese’s.

“Eid is like our Christmas,” Athman said, her face brightening.

But for her daughters, the warm memories faded each time schoolmates in Prince William County, in suburban Northern Virginia, were awarded per­fect attendance certificates. The honor eluded Athman’s daughters, who were resentful because they missed school for the Muslim holidays, their mother said.

Muslim and Jewish students have long had to decide whether to observe a religious holiday or attend school. It’s a struggle facing diverse communities across the country as they seek to accommodate students from different religious backgrounds.

In some cases, students feel they are compelled to choose between faith and school.

“They don’t want to observe the holiday with their family because they don’t want to miss school,” said Meryl Paskow, a volunteer with the interfaith group Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement.

Earlier this year, the interfaith group persuaded school leaders to be more forgiving of students who miss tests because of a religious holiday. The Fairfax and Prince William superintendents agreed to keep tests and major school events away from major Muslim and Jewish holidays, but school remains in session.

“I want them to be proud of their heritage,” Athman said. “You should be able to practice your religion without having to compete with school.”

Minnesota schools

School districts elsewhere have made religious accommodations for decades.

In the Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts, absences for religious reasons are excused and don’t affect attendance records, according to school district staff. Principals work off calendars highlighting major religious holidays and are encouraged to remind teachers to avoid tests and key activities on those days.

“We remind principals of religious holidays each month through a monthly newsletter,” said Toya Stewart Downey, communications director at St. Paul Public Schools. “We ask them to be mindful of those dates when planning school events.

“We do our best,” she said. “But there are times when circumstances are unavoidable. ... If they miss a test, students are allowed to make them up.”

In New York, schoolchildren have been given Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur off since the 1960s, said school district spokesman Michael Aciman. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha were added in 2015.

In Paterson, N.J., schools close for only one holiday for each major religion. For example, students can take off for one of the Eid holidays, a decision the district makes in consultation with faith leaders.

In suburban Maryland, Montgomery County schools are closed on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. In 2015, students were given the day off on Eid al-Adha. About the same time, Howard County Public Schools in Maryland added days off on Eid ­al-Adha, the eve of Lunar New Year and the Hindu holiday of Diwali.

“These are great students,” said Rabbi Michael G. Holzman, of the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation. “They don’t want to miss a test.”

Is message getting through?

Despite the commitments in Northern Virginia, leaders with the interfaith group are not convinced that all teachers are following the directives. Students in Reston reported academic conflicts with Rosh Hashanah earlier this year.

“I thoroughly believe that our leaders at the county level are committed to solving these problems,” said Holzman. “I also thoroughly believe that the message is not getting to the classroom level.”

Eli Sporn, 16, notches nearly straight As at McLean High School in Virginia and plays soccer and basketball. Each year he is absent from school for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. His teachers are understanding, but missing schoolwork still looms.

“It kind of hangs over your head the entire time,” he said.

 

Staff writer Jean Hopfensperger contributed to this report.