DJUSD calendar is not inclusive of minority religions

GRAPHIC: School calendars observe Christian holidays, yet rarely give students time off for non-Christian ones. (Courtesy / Genna Olavarri)

By Mayah Moore,

Guest editorial writer–

It’s Christmas morning. It’s chilly. You wake up early, excited to celebrate the day. You walk to the living room, greet your family, and start to open your presents. It’s your turn to pick a present, and just as you’re about to open it, you realize it’s eight o’clock! You jump up, shove your notebooks in your backpack, grab a bar and rush off to school. This is the reality of any non-Christian student at Davis High. 

Davis Joint Unified School District only gives time off from school for Christian holidays, forcing minority religions to struggle to observe their holidays during the school year. This creates a hierarchical system. As a Jewish student, I will focus on my personal experiences in this article.

Not giving time off for all major religious holidays forces many students to choose between culture and school. Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah are the two most important holidays in Judaism. When I was younger, I skipped school for both, to attend services with my family. It wasn’t a big issue then because there wasn’t much makeup work, but as I got older, it got more stressful.  Many Jews have to make these difficult decisions every year: either skip school and fall behind, or miss the observance of the most holy Jewish holidays. 

DJUSD upholds a hierarchy of religion with Christianity on top. We teach children that Christian holidays deserve time off school but other religions do not. My education is not as important as yours, simply because I’m Jewish? And here I thought Davis was progressive. “It makes it difficult for me to celebrate while I’m drowning in school work,” junior Hannah Guyer said. 

DJUSD projects a false image of equality for every student. Administrators will tell you, “It’s an excused absence.” But, you still have to make up the work you missed and be stressed out during our holidays. Administrators also say that teachers are accommodating towards different religions.  But, they still held a test on Rosh Hashanah. Holmes Junior High still held student government elections on Yom Kippur. I even asked a teacher this year if they could record the class on Yom Kippur, given that we have the technology now. They said no. Accommodating? I don’t think so. 

One solution that doesn’t require re-working the calendar, is for teachers not to give new work on religious holidays, or to truly excuse any work done on those days. This would allow students to observe their holidays without missing school. If teachers still assign work on holidays, they should be required to excuse  the work done that day. 

Another solution would be to distribute the breaks we already have. California law requires at least 180 days of school per year, so we can’t add new holidays.  But, we don’t need an entire week off for Thanksgiving, or two weeks off for Christmas. Some of those days can be used for Yom Kippur, for Rosh Hashanah, for Diwali, or for Al-Hijra. This has been done before. An article for Metea Media states, “In New York, schools close for major Jewish holidays, and as of 2015, two days are given for Muslims to observe Eid.”

You’re back to Christmas morning. Think about how nice it is to have time off of school so that you can celebrate with your loved ones. I believe that everyone deserves that. No matter our race, ethnicity, religion, or beliefs. You should be able to decorate your Christmas tree, while I light my menorah. If Davis is ready to create a truly equal educational system, all major holidays should get time off from school, so that all  students of all religions are valued.