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Board discusses student calendar inclusivity; governance committee and a student urged adding Eid observances
Summary
A governance committee report noted ongoing discussion about whether Eid and Diwali should be days off or treated as days for in-school learning; a student speaker asked the board to designate Eid days off and grant excused absences for multi-day observances.
The Pascack Valley Regional High School District’s governance committee and public commenters raised the possibility of recognizing major religious holidays on the student calendar during the Jan. 27 meeting.
A governance committee report to the board said members discussed policy 0145 (absences) and whether the student calendar should recognize religious observances such as Eid or Diwali with school closures or with in-school learning opportunities.
Nut graf: The matter is not final. Committee members said the discussion aims to balance academic calendars with cultural inclusivity and suggested that, even if a holiday is not designated a day off, schools should provide instruction or programming to teach students about the observance.
What the committee reported A board member reporting from the governance committee said the group examined policy language about absences and how to define authorized absences for board members or students. The committee also discussed the student calendar and whether days such as Eid or Diwali should be marked as no-school days.
The committee said the calendar matter is ongoing and not finalized; one idea is that if a holiday is not a day off, schools should schedule presentations and school-based learning about the observance so students can engage and learn.
Public comment During public comment, Zahra Islam, a Hills student and co-president of the Muslim Student Association, asked the board to designate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as days off in the 2025–2026 calendar and to provide excused absences for students observing multi-day celebrations. She said this year Eid dates fall on March 30 and June 7 and described academic difficulties when she missed school for religious observance.
Board members said the discussion will continue: the report noted further calendar planning with sending districts and that a regional meeting with sending-district leaders is scheduled for March 20.
Ending: The board did not take formal action; staff and the governance committee will continue calendar discussions and bring options back to the board for consideration.
