Montgomery County is a diverse area and with that, MCPS students represent a wide range of ethnicities, cultures and religions that all have different celebrations. Looking at the calendar for the year, it is apparent that some school days off purposely line up with certain holidays. So this poses the question: why do some holidays receive designated days off while others do not?
Currently, the MCPS calendar aligns non-instructional days or school breaks with specific religious or cultural observances. Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa are all given days off through winter break, Rosh Hashanah aligns with a non-instructional day and Good Friday and Easter Monday align with Spring Break in April. These all acknowledge a good portion of the Montgomery County community. However, some students are left frustrated as holidays in their religion or culture are not given a day off. Students celebrating Diwali, Ash Wednesday, Eastern Orthodox Christmas and Easter, despite their significance, are not given days off from school.
Families are forced to decide whether to send their children to school or allow them to skip school to honor their traditions, the latter meaning students must navigate getting pre-approval for anticipated excused absences. As MCPS continues to celebrate diversity, the conversation around recognizing holidays is an opportunity to reflect on how inclusivity is demonstrated.
Students who celebrate holidays like Orthodox Christmas or Diwali may feel overlooked when their traditions are not acknowledged in the same way as other holidays. However, recognizing every holiday with a day off could extend the school year or reduce instructional time. At the end of the day, the priority should be to let students learn. Having MCPS acknowledge every single religious holiday with a day off is not realistic, but a discussion worth having in our community that values multicultural identity.