NEW YORK — New York City public schools will now observe two Muslim holidays, officials announced Wednesday, making the district — the nation’s biggest — one of the few to put Islamic holy days on its calendar.
Under the change announced by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and city Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina, there will be no class for Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, starting Sept. 24. Another Muslim holiday, Eid al-Fitr — a festival marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan — will become a holiday for those in summer school starting in 2016.
“This is a common-sense change,” de Blasio said Wednesday, “and one that recognizes our growing Muslim community and honors its contributions to our city.”
Today we'll announce the addition of Eid al-Adha & al-Fitr to @NYCSchools holiday schedule, a change that respects the diversity of our city
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 4, 2015
Proud to announce that the @NYCSchools calendar will respect Muslim New Yorkers. http://t.co/QcVYu86CYM #EidInNYC pic.twitter.com/llVQlWjyjy
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 4, 2015
The decision affects some 1 million students in New York. While it’s not known exactly how many of them are Muslim, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said almost 1 million of the more than 8 million people in the city’s five boroughs practice Islam.
The move isn’t a surprise, given de Blasio’s campaign pledge to alter the school calendar with Muslim families in mind.
“Muslim students and their families who observe Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha shouldn’t have to choose between an instructional day and their religious obligations,” said Farina. “This new addition will also enable a teachable moment in the classroom for our students to learn about religious tolerance and the societal contributions of various cultures.”
New York joins school districts in other states, including New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont, that similarly observe Muslim holidays, according to a news release from Farina’s office.
And Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha join other religious holidays already on New York’s public school calendar. In addition to holidays like Easter that always fall on a weekend, students already have Christian holidays such as Good Friday and Christmas off, as well as the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.