Stamford Schools Subcommittee Approves New Holidays For Calendar

STAMFORD, CT — The Stamford Board of Education's Labor Committee this week unanimously approved new holidays to be included in the 2023-2024 school calendar. The full Board of Education will have a final vote some time in the future after administration finalizes other calendar components.

Possibly new for next year would be the Indian holiday Diwali (occurs on weekend), Muslim holidays Eid-al-Fitr (no classes) and Eid-al-Adha (schools not in session), Christian holiday Three Kings Day (occurs on a weekend), and Juneteenth (schools not in session).

"This really is representative of our school community," Superintendent of Stamford Schools Dr. Tamu Lucero said during the subcommittee's meeting Tuesday night.

Also new for next year, Lucero said the district is thinking of pairing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.

The district has spent recent weeks trying to craft school calendars for next year and for 2024-2025. There have been several community conversations surrounding the calendars and what should and shouldn't be included.

Veterans Day and Columbus Day are included on the calendar as days off. In previous discussions, the district thought about returning to classes on those days, but members of the community pushed back on the idea and the holidays were added back to the draft calendar.

According to state statute, individual school districts have local control over closing for holidays that fall on a school day outside of December and January. However, if classes are held, the board of education requires that each school hold "a suitable nonsectarian educational program in observance of each holiday."

Lucero said this week that she hopes a committee could be formed under the Labor Committee in conjunction with the city.

"I do think it's really important if we are going to have a day off of school and we're not going stay in school, to acknowledge the holiday and work with the city to have the cultural events that are already in place moved to the day we have off school, so we have an opportunity to actually celebrate as a community," she said.

The new committee would also look at child care options for families on days off.

Lucero also hoped to look at policy changes with regards to school assignments as part of a new calendar.

"I do think that it's important people are able to be off, celebrate the holiday, have a day when they come back that they would not be expected to turn in a major assignment," Lucero said.

Because some of the new additions fall during school breaks or weekends, Lucero said the district is still in line to finish school during the same week in June as other nearby districts. She said she felt comfortable with recommending next year's calendar.

All members of the Labor Committee suported next year's calendar, but some said ensuing years would be difficult to navigate with so many days off.

Committee member Jackie Heftman said supporting the 2023-2024 calendar was a "no-brainer."

"The following year is really going to be incredibly challenging," she said. "I can definitely support this for next year, but I think we really have to know what we're going to do in that next year. I don't see how we fit it all in."

Lucero said the district has time to have conversations about following years.

Fellow committee member Versha Munshi-South said there's an opportunity for a social studies education with the calendar. She spoke briefly about Columbus Day possibly being paired with Indigenous Peoples Day.

"I'd urge us to think about what it means to have a day that's called Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day. I think that's oxymoronic," she said. "I think if we really want to think about the history of this country, putting those two side by side on a day kind of diminishes what we're trying to do in terms of honoring indigenous people."

It's unclear when the full board will examine the calendar and take a final vote.