Columbus Day, Yom Kippur: Which Is School Holiday in Maryland?

Next week may require some extra juggling for many Maryland families as students have a holiday, but it’s not the same one that parents who work for federal or state government will have off.

Columbus Day on Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, is still a federal holiday, so banks and government offices close, most state workers have the day off, and transit schedules change, but many schools no longer observe the holiday.

As the state has become more diverse, Maryland school systems have revamped which days students are out of class, first adding Jewish holidays and in more recent years observing Muslim and Hindu holidays, as well.

For example, students in Howard and Montgomery counties were out of class on Sept. 12 to coincide with the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha; this was the first year the holiday was observed in the districts.

Schools are split on having holidays or professional development days for Rosh Hashanah, but in most districts that have class on that Jewish holy day, students receive an excused absence if they stay home.

Columbus Day will be a regular school day in these systems:

• Baltimore City Schools
• Prince George’s County Public Schools
• Baltimore County Public Schools
• Montgomery County Public Schools
• Harford County Public School
• Anne Arundel County Public Schools
• Howard County Public School System
• Carroll County Public Schools

Closed for Yom Kippur: Howard County, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Carroll County, and Harford County.

City of Baltimore Schools have an observance day on Yom Kippur. All activities must end by 5:30 p.m., and no testing will be done that day.