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Families press Hillsboro board to recognize Eid holidays; board says calendar review is needed
Summary
Community members asked the Hillsboro board May 13 to add Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha as district holidays. Board members said calendar logistics, contractual start/end dates and graduation timing complicate immediate changes and referred the issue to the education committee.
Multiple residents and students urged the Hillsboro Township Board of Education on May 13 to include Eid holidays on the school calendar to better reflect the district’s religious and cultural diversity.
Jenna, speaking for members of the Muslim community, described students’ anxiety about missing school for Eid and asked the board to adopt the two Eid holidays as days off beginning with the 2025–26 academic year if possible. Other speakers — including senior Z Mona, parent and physician N Faruki, and community members A Sadiki, Anise Karachi and Sabina Monila — described personal experiences of exclusion, academic stress when religious observances fall on school days, and the benefits of symbolic recognition for inclusion and student well-being.
Board members responded that the district had already approved a 2024–25 calendar and that legally and contractually the district must meet a required number of school days and a preset graduation date. Members suggested options such as shifting other days, reallocating teacher-conference days or having committee review to explore feasible calendar changes. The board said the education committee will examine the issue and that administrators will consider community input before any calendar changes are proposed.
No immediate calendar change was made. Board members noted that several nearby Somerset County districts have adopted Eid observances and that the district will consider stakeholder input as it evaluates future calendars.
