NYC Candidates Want More Religious Holidays Added to the Public School Schedule

NYC public schools give children Christmas, Good Friday and Rosh Hashanah off. Four more religious holidays are being considered to be added to the 'days off' list by those running for Mayor and State Assembly.

Chinese New Year
Diwali - Hindu festival of lights associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity.
Eid al-Fitr -Muslim end of Ramadan - a fasting holiday based on the lunar cycle.
Eid al-Adha - Muslim celebration of Abraham trying to murder his child because 'voices' told him to.

CBS - Muslim City Councilman Pleased as Candidates Back School Holidays

With both mayoral candidates supporting the addition of two Muslim holidays to the New York City public school calendar, one city councilman may finally get his wish. As WCBS 880′s Jim Smith reported Sunday, Councilman Robert Jackson (D-7th) is the only Muslim on the City Council. He has been pushing days off in the school calendar for Muslim holidays for years, sponsoring a resolution that passed the City Council unanimously back in 2009.

He has called for adding Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, which honors the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his first-born son Ismail, according to published reports.

New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) believes children should also be given days off for the Chinese New Year. City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-25th) said a day off should also be awarded for the Hindu holiday of Diwali.

My opinion .... they are going in the wrong direction. Instead adding religious holidays, I'd think that they would neutralize the whole school calendar and remove religious holidays all together. Instead of celebrating the holidays, the school could schedule 'teachers workshop' days off for those days or schedule 'winter break' or 'spring break' around those days if they like. (that would be common sense to do so) But to out-and-out celebrate religious holidays and call it as such .... well, I think that's going in the wrong direction.

NYC can run it's city how it likes ... but if I lived there I'd like to see a neutralized school calendar.

reply to post by FlyersFan

Well, on the bright side, it would be that many fewer days that children are in the indoctrination centers.

gladtobehere
it would be that many fewer days that children are in the indoctrination centers.

The sad thing is that there is indoctrination and agenda everywhere ....
be it the public schools or the TV news or even different religions.
Kinda makes you wonder where truth is ....

reply to post by FlyersFan


I went through the NY school system. October was a great month with Columbus day and several Jewish holidays. Plus we got all the Christian holidays too the rest of the year.and the nonsecular holidays like presidents birthdays which used to be separaterate for Washington and Lincoln. There was no presidents day it was two separate days. And all the holidays were not on a Monday like they are now. Veterans day was Nov 11th Columbus day was Oct12 Lincoln was Feb 12 and Washington's was Feb 22 . Here in VA they don't close for Columbus . Guess the south doesn't like Italians.

reply to post by FlyersFan


Right Just try getting kids in school on Christmas day and see how that sits with their families. Or Easter . Good Friday can go. The reason they closed those days in the first place was because hardly anyone showed up on those days to begin with Ok not Easter that is always a Sunday. Same with closing for summer. It wasn't to give the kids a break it was so they were available to work the fields during the growing season. They went back when the harvest was in.

reply to post by FlyersFan


Indoctrination or raising children. They need guidance and boundaries.

I'm an equal opportunity holidayist!!!! We should celebrate every major religious holiday for every religion. just get rid of all those "teacher planning days off" and it will all even out.

Perhaps we as people could overcome our differences if we could celebrate and acknowledge each others holidays.

Im 100% against it! not because its religious...

it is because i did not have it when i was young, no way these little kids gonna have it.


jealous+1.

AutumnWitch657
Right Just try getting kids in school on Christmas day and see how that sits with their families. Or Easter .

I said to have a 'winter break' or 'teachers workshop' days off on the holidays that a lot of students would be out for. I never said to send people to school on them.

Oh ... and Easter is always on a Sunday, so there isnt' any school on that day anyways.

worldwatcher
We should celebrate every major religious holiday for every religion.

Then the kids would never be in school. Every full moon the kids would be off because it's a Wiccan day. Every Catholic feast day (and there are a lot). All the Christian and Muslim and HIndu and Muslim and Wiccan and Pagan and Native American and ______ holidays would mean kids go to school year round and there would be no summer break. Kids would end up being stuck in the non-air conditioned schools all summer long and they wouldn't be able to go out and get summer jobs to earn money for college.

I say - neutralize the calendar. If there is a religious holiday that would mean a lot of absentees, then make a 'winter break' or a 'teachers workshop' day.

Well... that's my opinion anyways.

reply to post by FlyersFan


I am very, very anti-religious (as in "established, institutionalized religion) but the lack of Holidays in the US always *shocked* me, compared to what we have in Europe.

The biggest joke in the US is Xmas where you only have one day off, here it's 25th and 26th, the biggest holidays ever and on the 24th it's like "half a holiday" since you usually get Xmas presents at night on the 24th.

For me it was always ABSURD to celebrate the 25th in the US and then go to work the next day, absurd and extremely depressing.

The same with Easter where we have Easter Sunday, and of course Easter Monday!
CORRECTION: Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday ------> LOOOOONG weekend !

So...and...now you wonder why I am "pro" Holidays even if I don't care about the religious/christian aspect? Because you can celebrate (or at least RELAX) on those Holidays even as someone who does not care for Church. Xmas STILL has a meaning, as a celebration of peace/joy...etc...and the same for Easter and...and MAYBE even for other christian Holidays.

I also think that we in the West (again, regardless of whether someone believes or not) should STAND to our own, Western values, culture and traditions - our Holidays belong there too. They CAN have a meaning - you do NOT need to go to Church to value and cherish the fact that there are some days in a year which are for relaxing, family, a good meal or whatever you make of it.

reply to post by FlyersFan


okay let's limit to the Top 7 religion based on population and celebrate those Holidays or two per religion per year, let the religious leaders pick which two.

btw I am for a rework of the entire school system in general mainly curriculum but including hours, days and holidays and teachers pay.