Council Education Panel OKs Adding Muslim Holidays

The City Council's Education Panel voted 10-1 to add the Muslim holidays of "Eid ul-Fitr, a day of giving thanks, and Eid ul-Adha, a day of remembrance," to the school calendar. Councilmember Robert Jackson, who introduced the legislation last year, said, "This is about being inclusive. This is about the city of New York being flexible to understand that the diversity of our city is complimented when we can include all holidays into the school calendar." About 10% of the NYC public school population is Muslim. The lone "no" vote was from Councilmember Oliver Koppell, who told the Riverdale Press, "I just feel that we can’t, we shouldn’t deprive kids of school. And we should make accommodation for everybody’s religious observance." The Press adds he's concerned about asking the state for two extra school days, "Reducing school days... until everyone's holidays were recognized would be onerous, he said." On that note, Councilmember Simcha Felder is against closing schools on every holiday, but, PolitickerNY reports, "since the practice is in place, now, it should be applied uniformly."