(CT Examiner) After hearing concerns from the Waterbury Muslim community, the Board of Education voted 9-1 on Tuesday to modify the academic calendar to recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as school holidays.
About 50 local Muslim community members attended the meeting, with many speaking about the benefits of recognizing Eid. Muslim students reasoned that including Eid as a school holiday would open a conversation with non-Muslim students in the school district and could become a teaching moment about their culture. Students said the holiday could also help reduce the bullying they experience.
Students told board members that … potentially missing out on education when absent from school during Eid caused them stress and worry.
