It would seem that if anything our kids need more days at school – not fewer. Regardless, we now have what amounts to a reasonable request from local Muslims for the Hillsborough County School Board to add an additional holiday: Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. They point out that schools close on days that coincide with Christian Christmas and Good Friday as well as the Jewish Yom Kippur.
Two points.
First, Christmas shouldn’t count. It’s far too institutionalized and secularized.
Second, school districts have brought this on themselves by designating purely religious-observance occasions – Good Friday and Yom Kippur — as public school holidays. Now they’re stuck with such precedents – and will eventually yield to this inclusive request. Possibly for the 2006-07 school calendar.