In a unanimous vote Thursday night, the Waterbury Board of Education opted to officially recognize two Muslim holidays and urged teachers not to schedule tests or field trips on those dates.
The measure calls on the superintendent to write a letter at the beginning of each school year reminding school staff to be mindful of the holidays – Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr – when scheduling big events.
“We service about 1,000 family communities of the Muslim heritage here and we certainly want to recognize that,” said Waterbury superintendent Dr. Kathleen Ouellette. “We’re a very diverse population here. We’re sensitive to all cultures and we want to make sure we service our students properly with regards to their religious beliefs.”
The Muslim community in Waterbury launched a petition about six months ago asking the school to acknowledge the holidays. Many of those residents were in the audience Thursday.
“I was practically in tears. I’m so excited for my kids,” said Fahd Sayed, a parent of three students who attend Waterbury schools. “My child [sic] don’t have to choose between their religion or going to school.”
While the days will be acknowledged, they will not be added to the school calendar.
Waterbury follows in the footsteps of the New London school system, which opted to recognize Muslim holidays last May.
