CPS nixes plan to hold school on religious holidays

In a 3-2 vote, the Canton School Committee decided last week to retain the current calendar setup for religious holidays, defeating a proposal that would have allowed the district to hold school on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday.

After hearing from a few local clergy members and debating the issue at the March 24 meeting, the majority of committee members decided they did not want to change the policy.

Outgoing School Committee Chairman Bob Golledge first proposed the change in an effort to promote diversity and not to exclude any religions. His proposal included excused absences for those students who elected to observe the holidays. Students would have been permitted to make up missed work, and no tests or exams were to be given on those days.

Committee member Reuki Schutt also supported the proposal, noting the choppiness of the school calendar in early October, the impact of snow days, and the importance of promoting a calendar that is equitable for all religions.

Opposing the plan were committee members John Bonnanzio, Kristin Mirliani, and Mike Loughran.

“If the calendar is not broken, I choose to leave it alone,” said Loughran. “The three days we are talking about should not upset the calendar.”

The only remaining issue is when to start the school calendar next year. A vote of the teachers union is required in order to permit the district to hold professional development sessions prior to the Labor Day weekend. The first day of school is tentatively scheduled for September 6.

In other news, the committee recently received the backing of the Finance Committee on its proposed 5.01 percent budget increase for FY17 as well as its proposal to offer tuition-free, full-day kindergarten beginning in the next school year. With an estimated first-year cost of $770,000 for the kindergarten program, the schools intend …

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Posted by Mike Berger on Mar 31 2016. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.