You've probably heard of Senior Skip Days, the odious tradition of 12th graders taking a day off just for being seniors, just cause they felt like it (yeah, I was never a fan).
I'm not against this, TBH. Jewish kids in districts that don't set Yom Kippur as a holiday should be able to go to temple without having to go through bureaucratic hassle to get it approved as an excused absence--for just one example. But I'd actually broaden it and give kids the three days to do whatever they hell they want, just like adults often get PTO in addition to company holidays, to do whatever they hell they want. Usually it's mundane stuff like scheduling doctor appointments, or helping someone move, or taking a day off for your birthday. But why shouldn't kids, like adults, be allowed some personal time off that doesn't require anyone else's inquisition or approval? Three days across a whole school year won't kill anyone. And it should be the student's responsibility, not the teacher's, to pick up whatever notes and assignments they've missed.
My Jewish neighbors had two boys who had perfect attendance all the way through school, yet they never got that award because they took off for the high holy days. The mother refused to dispute it because she didn’t want to make trouble. I suggested I would do it on their behalf, but she still said no. So for families like theirs, I can see the value in allowing this. Otherwise, I agree it’s not quite what it seems.
I remember taking a day off from school in 8th grade to prepare for confirmation. I think that many districts already find ways to deal with this. In the small district I retired from, there was one night a week that we were not allowed to schedule any events. No sports, concerts, conferences, etc. It was called Family Night but was the night that all the local churches scheduled their religious instruction or youth nights. The other districts in the area chose the same night in conjunction with their community churches so there were no sport conflicts. When kids needed to be out for a religious activity for some reason, they were excused. My Jewish colleague always took off the High Holy Days in the fall and the district let him put in equal hours on his own. (He usually just filed for the extra days in the summer when he was putting in extra prep time getting ready anyway.) We had a Muslim family and the kids were excused for holidays as requested. You don't need laws to deal with these issues, just some common sense.
I'm not against this, TBH. Jewish kids in districts that don't set Yom Kippur as a holiday should be able to go to temple without having to go through bureaucratic hassle to get it approved as an excused absence--for just one example. But I'd actually broaden it and give kids the three days to do whatever they hell they want, just like adults often get PTO in addition to company holidays, to do whatever they hell they want. Usually it's mundane stuff like scheduling doctor appointments, or helping someone move, or taking a day off for your birthday. But why shouldn't kids, like adults, be allowed some personal time off that doesn't require anyone else's inquisition or approval? Three days across a whole school year won't kill anyone. And it should be the student's responsibility, not the teacher's, to pick up whatever notes and assignments they've missed.
My Jewish neighbors had two boys who had perfect attendance all the way through school, yet they never got that award because they took off for the high holy days. The mother refused to dispute it because she didn’t want to make trouble. I suggested I would do it on their behalf, but she still said no. So for families like theirs, I can see the value in allowing this. Otherwise, I agree it’s not quite what it seems.
I remember taking a day off from school in 8th grade to prepare for confirmation. I think that many districts already find ways to deal with this. In the small district I retired from, there was one night a week that we were not allowed to schedule any events. No sports, concerts, conferences, etc. It was called Family Night but was the night that all the local churches scheduled their religious instruction or youth nights. The other districts in the area chose the same night in conjunction with their community churches so there were no sport conflicts. When kids needed to be out for a religious activity for some reason, they were excused. My Jewish colleague always took off the High Holy Days in the fall and the district let him put in equal hours on his own. (He usually just filed for the extra days in the summer when he was putting in extra prep time getting ready anyway.) We had a Muslim family and the kids were excused for holidays as requested. You don't need laws to deal with these issues, just some common sense.