A county education board in Ellicott City, Maryland has approved to include Muslim, Hindu and Asian holidays to the school calendar to make it inclusive for all students.
The Howard County Board of Education voted to include the holidays for the first time in the school system's history.
"I am extremely pleased by the Board's ability to discuss and unanimously agree to seek ways to recognise the diverse backgrounds of Howard County's students and families," said Board of Education Chairwoman Christine O'Connor, according to The Baltimore Sun.
The motion, voted by all members of the board, will provide students with days off on Lunar New Year Eve, Hindu holiday of Diwali and the Muslim religious observance of Eid al-Adha aside from school closings or professional development days for teachers.
Schools will also continue to observe the Jewish holidays Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana.
"This vote is proof that it is indeed possible to accommodate the religious needs of multiple faith communities in diverse school districts," said Council of American-Islamic Relations Maryland Outreach Manager Zainab Chaudry. "Religious pluralism is the hallmark of an integrated and inclusive society. We see that reflected in the Howard County Board of Education's decision."
Deputy Superintendent Linday Wise earlier recommended a plan to close schools on state-mandated holidays and the two Jewish celebrations.
Several board members said there was a need to go beyond closing the school on the two Jewish holidays and make it inclusive for the diverse population and allow non-Judeo-Christian students to celebrate as well.
"These groups aren't asking for an unreasonable amount of days off. They just want one day to celebrate their family's traditions," said the board's student member, Rachel Lin. "With the amount of school work that students are getting in their classes, it's difficult for students to want to miss a day of school. They might lose their traditions, because they are not able to celebrate."
The report said 42 percent of Howard County students are white, 22 percent black, 19 percent Asian, 9 percent Hispanic and 6 percent of two or more races. The school system does not record the religious backgrounds of its students.
Many of the state-mandated school holidays fall on Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter while local school boards determine additional days off.
"I strongly believe that our school calendar should be inclusive of the cultures and religions of all Howard County residents," said board member Janet Siddiqui. "I moved here 30 years ago, because of the schools, but more because of the diversity. In a county where we pride ourselves on our diversity, we have to demonstrate that in terms of our actions."
