Finalized Southington School Calendar Doesn't Include Jewish Holidays

SOUTHINGTON, CT — With some calling for the inclusion of two prominent Jewish holidays on the school calendar, education officials earlier this month approved a calendar stopping short of that.

The Southington Board of Education Jan. 12 conducted a second and final reading of the 2023-24 school calendar and, as it announced during the first reading last month, it will not include prominent ethnic holidays as official school holidays, resulting in days off for all.

The new calendar was approved unanimously via a voice vote.

Instead of adding religious holidays to the mix, school officials name nine "special observation days" as being excused absences for pupils and staff celebrating them.

Those days are: Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 16-17; Yom Kippur, Sept. 25; Sukkot, Sept. 30-Oct. 1; Diwali, Nov. 12; Three Kings Day, Jan. 6, 2024; Ramadan, March 11 to April 9, 2024; Holi, March 25, 2024; Passover, April 23-23, 2024; and Bright Monday, May 6, 2024.

The calendar situation became somewhat controversial late last year, with some parents calling for the inclusion of two Jewish holidays — Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — as holidays for all.

But school administrators and board members said recognizing them as excused days off for those who celebrate them, as well as urging teachers to remember those holidays when assigning work and scheduling tests, is sufficient to avoid students celebrating those holidays from falling behind.

Southington school board member David Derynoski asked that the school board look into adding those Jewish holidays to the 2024-25 calendar during such deliberations next school year.

Steven Madancy, Southington's superintendent of schools, said the approved policy maintains the balance necessary to operate the schools and, still, embrace different religions and holidays.

School board member Jasper Williams asked that the issue be dealt with by a school board subcommittee first.

Last year, residents used the public communications portion of the school board's agendas to convey their wishes for the school system to adopt the Jewish holidays as school holidays.

That was the case, again, at the last school board meeting Jan. 12.

Ryan Mathews of Pondview Drive and David Bearman of Master Drive, both residents and parents, asked that those holidays be included.

They pointed out that other area school districts do recognize the holidays.

One such district is West Hartford, which has one of the highest Jewish populations in the state.

Meanwhile, Mathews said his children have recently been subjected to "unprovoked antisemitism" and requested more education be taught on diversity with religions.

For the minutes of the Southington Board of Education meeting Jan. 12, click on this link.

From Dec. 16: 'Proposed Southington School Calendar Acknowledges Several Holidays'