Three public commenters addressed the committee during the public comment period Nov. 3 about religious holiday recognition and school attendance.

Lina Alvasha, a Newton Highlands resident, described her family's experience emigrating to the U.S. and urged the committee to adopt both Eid ul‑Fitr and Eid al‑Adha as official school holidays so Muslim students would not feel isolated or forced to choose between school and religious observance. "Please vote for the two days of Eid and Eid al Futur off," Alvasha said, adding that in her experience Eid celebrations involve extended family activities and community recognition.

Remote commenter Rakashi Shand (who identified herself as supporting Lina and as "Sarah's mom" in remarks) urged the committee also to consider Diwali and to study how absences do or do not reflect the number of children observing religious holidays in the community. Shand said South Asian families often keep children in school for important religious days because of cultural emphasis on attendance and that absences therefore undercount the number of students who observe a holiday.

Speakers asked the committee to reassess which holidays the district recognizes and to examine whether the current calendar and attendance policies reflect the diversity of student religious observance. One commenter noted a pending state bill identified in public remarks as "bill 3,326" to make Diwali an official state holiday.

Why it matters: Recognizing religious observances as school days off or adjusting policies to reduce penalties for observant students is an equity and inclusion issue that affects students' cultural participation, family practice, and classroom attendance.

Next steps: Committee members heard the comments during public comment; no formal agenda action was taken on holiday recognition during the Nov. 3 meeting. Administration and committee members acknowledged they had previously received related feedback and said they would continue to discuss calendar and attendance policies.