Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Calendar topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Old Saybrook School District to acknowledge Jewish high holidays
Summary
Several residents told the Old Saybrook Board of Education that Jewish students and staff face pressure to attend school on major holy days and urged the district’s calendar committee to consider accommodations and scheduling changes.
Residents urged the Old Saybrook School District on Tuesday to change how the district’s calendar treats major Jewish holy days, saying students and staff sometimes feel forced to choose between observance and school commitments.
At the start of the board’s public-comment period, Elizabeth Meer said Old Saybrook does not close for Jewish holidays while neighboring towns do, and described students who skipped Temple services because they were worried about missing tests. “I think it’s important that as a community we acknowledge all holidays,” Meer said.
Alan Schwarz, who described Yom Kippur as “the most important Jewish holiday,” told the board families in Old Saybrook struggle when students miss school for observance and later face exams or make-up work. “It is very important…we are observant and never work on the holidays,” he said.
Other commenters, including Char B and former superintendent Jan Ferman, echoed those concerns. Ferman warned that staff can be put in an awkward position when district operations do not align with religious observances, recounting an instance where a principal was criticized for being present during the high holy days.
The superintendent said the district has a standing calendar committee—composed of staff and community members—that will begin work before the new year and bring a proposed school calendar back to the board for adoption. “We actually have a district calendar committee that comprises not just staff but members of the community as well,” the superintendent said, and noted the process includes community engagement and eventual board action.
The public comments did not produce an immediate policy change; the board’s chair and superintendent said they would route the concerns to the calendar committee for consideration and, if warranted, return options to the board for formal action.
