New York School Board Meeting Gets Heated During Debate Over Closing for Muslim Holiday

A Jersey City school board meeting Thursday to vote on whether to close for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on Sept. 24 turned contentious before the board ultimately decided not to close schools next week.

The Jersey City Board of Education had originally proposed to close schools next Thursday so that Muslim students could observe the holiday, and the City Council unanimously supported it a week ago. The academic year would have extended one day to June 23, 2016 as a result.

But during the nearly four hours of debate at the board meeting Thursday, some of the Jewish faith said they felt they were being discriminated against because they weren’t getting their own school days off for holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur . . .

As the debate wore on and it became clear that the school board would not close schools next Thursday, Muslim community members nearly walked out in anger and frustration . . .

In the original resolution announcing the vote, the board said it was “committed to honoring the great diversity of our district, including our religious diversity,” and that it will “continue to engage our communities to explore ways to support its diverse communities and celebrate our many cultures and faiths.” (Read more from “New York Chool Board Meeting Gets Heated During Debate Over Closing for Muslim Holiday” HERE)

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