Region 16 schools mull Muslim holidays

Prospect (WTNH) - A Connecticut school district representing two towns is considering a proposal to close schools on two Muslim holidays.

About 50 families worship at the Albanian American Moslem Community in Waterbury. But it can be difficult for many to attend.

"For Muslims, we have weekly prayer which is called Juma prayer, and we have it on Friday," said Gazmend Aga of the Albanian American Moslem Community.

Aga is 'Imam,' a spiritual leader at his place of worship, and said it's even worse for major holidays.

"They have to come here to pray, to participate," Aga said.

Now, a sophomore at Woodlands Regional High School wants to change that. The students made a proposal to add two Muslim holidays to the school year, a day at the end of Ramadan and one marking the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

"It's her religioin, I think she should go for it even though I'm not her religion but if I did, I would have the idea of it," said Emily Wirsing a freshman at Woodlands.

The school district does observe Christmas and Easter as well as Good Friday; it does not close for Jewish holidays. It's estimated about six-percent of the nearly 800 students are Muslim and there are two excused absences allowed for religious reasons. But students say, it still puts them at a disadvantage.

"I think it is, yeah, because I know, a couple of my friends have to you know, skip class well, not skip class, but they don't go to school and they have to make up the work," said Woodlands junior Lindsey Wirsing. "I just don't think it's fair to them really."

The superintendent has now put the issue on the Board of Education's agenda but said, by state statute, there must be 180 days to a school year.

" When you start to take in religious holidays, and if you're thinking of adding more and more, you have to weigh that against the disruption to the educational process," said James Agostine, superintendent of Region 16.

Agostine said he's now put the item on the agenda for the next board of education meeting but will expand it to discuss all religious holidays in general, including Jewish holidays or things like Kwanzaa.

The superintendent said, to his knowledge, they are the first district to consider adding Muslim holidays.

The Muslim holiday issue in the Region 16 School District is on the agenda for the regular board of education meeting, Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the Algonquin School in Prospect. It is listed under new business; it's not a public hearing but people can speak about it. The board is not expected to take any action on it yet.