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Muslim leaders and allies urge Bridgeport Board to recognize Eid al-Adha as school holiday
Summary
Faith leaders, parents and students told the Bridgeport Board of Education adding Eid al-Adha to the official school calendar would promote religious equity; presenters argued the long-term calendar impact would be small and highlighted personal consequences of not recognizing the holiday.
Bridgeport — Religious leaders, educators and students urged the Bridgeport Board of Education to add Eid al-Adha to the district school calendar, arguing recognition would advance equity and avoid forcing Muslim students to choose between faith observance and school.
Khaled Eliafi, president of the Bridgeport Islamic Community Center, presented a 15-year projection of Eid dates and told the board the impact on the academic calendar would be modest. "Out of these 30 occasions, there are 10 of them that fall on weekends or an existing break... we are left with 11 instances of Eid al-Adha that would require consideration over 15 years," Eliafi said, and he urged the board to adopt the holiday when it falls on a school day.
Student speaker Amina Lawani described last year's Eid al-Adha falling on a Friday that coincided with her school's field day. "Instead of spending time with family, we went back to school after morning prayer," Lawani said, warning that attending school on sacred days can lower grades and hurt students' well-being.
Supporters included faith and civic organizations: Jeffrey Schwartz of Connect Congregations and others said Bridgeport already recognizes multiple religious observances for Christian and Jewish holidays and should extend parity to Muslim holidays. Mustafa Hassan of the University of Bridgeport recounted an incident of a Muslim teacher being mocked and said formal recognition would foster understanding and reduce stereotyping.
Board members acknowledged the request and proposed creating a calendar review process through the policy committee to examine the 15-year projection and possible impacts on scheduling and operations. The board suggested a calendar subcommittee or policy referral to study the data shared by community members and return with a recommendation.
No formal vote was taken at the meeting; the board directed staff and policy committees to review the request and the calendar data presented by community members.
