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Old Bridge board postpones vote on 2026–27 calendar after public requests to add Eid and other holidays
Summary
The board delayed a final vote on the 2026–27 academic calendar to May after public correspondence and board discussion about adding Eid and Diwali as full‑day holidays; members cited instructional‑day requirements and graduation scheduling as constraints.
The Old Bridge Township Board of Education voted on April 8 to postpone a final decision on the 2026–27 academic calendar until May to allow additional review and outreach, after residents asked the district to add Eid al‑Fitr and Eid al‑Adha as full‑day holidays and board members raised practical scheduling concerns.
A letter read to the board from resident Nadia Awad asked the district to "adopt Eid as a day off in the academic calendar" so Muslim students and staff would not have to miss school for religious observance. The board secretary read the correspondence aloud: "I am asking that our district adopt Eid as a day off in the academic calendar… By recognizing and including Eid on the Old Bridge District calendar as a day off, our schools can inspire conversations among students and staff that play a crucial role in dispelling anti‑Muslim bigotry." The letter observed other nearby townships list Eid as a holiday.
Board members discussed competing priorities: one member cited a demographic report noting that about 16% of students celebrate Diwali and Eid and argued for inclusion to increase cultural representation; other members and administration warned that changing the calendar can push the end of the school year later, affect PNC Arts Center graduation scheduling and strain unair‑conditioned elementary classrooms. A board member representing teachers said classroom behavior late in the year and staffing renewals argued for keeping a traditional spring break in place.
The board voted to send the calendar back to the district's instructional council for further review and to delay the formal adoption vote until May so the council can present options that may include full‑day observances, half‑days or alternative scheduling that preserves required instructional time. The superintendent and instructional council members told the board they would share calendar scenarios and a days‑counting PowerPoint to illustrate the tradeoffs. The postponement passed by roll call and will be revisited at the May meeting.
