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Board approves 2026–27 draft calendar; discussion on religious holidays and recognition to continue
Summary
The board unanimously approved the draft 2026–27 calendar and heard requests to study how religious and faith holidays are recognized in the schedule and classroom expectations. The board asked administration to gather examples from other districts and return to the retreat for further discussion.
The Darien Board of Education unanimously approved the district calendar for 2026–27 on June 24 and held a separate discussion about how the district should acknowledge student religious and faith observances.
Board members thanked a student who had raised the issue of religious and faith holidays and asked administration to research how other districts handle formal recognition, teacher guidance (for example, “no homework/no tests” notices), and community communication. Legal counsel previously prepared a memo and administration said the memo was updated with specific dates for board consideration.
Administrators said approaches range from informal cultural recognition to formal policies; one former administrator described a practice of distributing a start‑of‑year memo to teachers listing holidays and asking them not to schedule major tests or homework on those dates. Board members suggested the topic be discussed at the summer retreat and/or referred to the policy committee for a formal recommendation on communication and classroom expectations for observances.
Next steps: Administration agreed to compile examples from other districts and draft a recommended approach for the board to consider at the retreat or in a subsequent policy committee meeting.
