Rochester Public Schools proposes test-free school days for key religious observances; board to study next steps

Superintendent Kent Pickell presented a proposal at a school board study session Tuesday asking Rochester Public Schools to adopt an approach that would, when certain religious holidays fall on a school day, prohibit teachers from scheduling or administering major assessments, presentations, schoolwide assemblies or field trips for the 2026–27 and 2027–28 calendars.

The recommendation is not to close schools on those days but to treat them as regular instructional days with limits on high‑stakes events. “When the following religious or cultural holidays fall on a school day, teachers in schools will not schedule or administer major assessments or events, which include tests and quizzes, major student presentations, due dates for significant projects, schoolwide assemblies, or field trips,” RPS staff member Will Ruffin II told the board.

The proposal grew out of student requests and public comments asking the district to better accommodate observant Muslim and Jewish students, and follows state law that requires districts to make…