Fairfield Public Schools Adds Eid al-Fitr As A School Holiday

FAIRFIELD, CT — Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim religious holiday marking the end of Ramadan, will be observed by Fairfield Public Schools beginning in 2024, the Board of Education decided during a meeting Tuesday.

With the board's decision, schools will be closed on April 10, 2024, the first year when the holiday will fall during the week; in 2023, the holiday will be on a Saturday when schools are already closed.

The motion to add the holiday was made by board member Carol Guernsey, who said that she was "deeply moved" by the outpouring of community support for the district observing the holiday.

She said that on the most recent Eid al-Fitr holiday, the district saw a 42.9 percent increase in absenteeism, or nearly 250 Muslim students, which added to her reason of supporting the observation of the holiday.

"I'm proud to live in a community that is committed to inclusivity," Guernsey said.

Other board members echoed those sentiments, which led to a near unanimous vote on the motion.

While no one on the board opposed the decision, member Jennifer Maxon-Kennelly abstained from the vote, reiterating her previously expressed concerns over a lack of policy over how the board will consider requests for holidays in the future.

"My abstention is not about this holiday," Maxon-Kennelly said, stressing that she does not oppose adding Eid al-Fitr to the school calendar.

Her concern was over future requests, for holidays such as Dawali, Juneteenth or Indigenous People's Day.

"This is about the complete lack of standards and criteria in how we address this," Maxon-Kennelly said.

Board member Jeff Peterson said that he agreed with Maxon-Kennelly's sentiments, but overcame his skepticism, in part due to the community support.

"I don't know that we need to have a policy before we make a decision," Peterson said, adding that similar decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.