Calendar With More Religious Holidays Approved By Fairfax School Board

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — The Fairfax County School Board on Thursday approved a 2022-23 school calendar that adds religious observances of Jews, Orthodox Christians, Hindus, Muslims and other religious communities.

The motion to approve the Fairfax County Public Schools calendar was supported by all school board members except Ricardy Anderson and Megan McLaughlin, who abstained. The calendar sets the first day of school as Aug. 22 and the last day as June 16, 2023.

New changes to the calendar include adding the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur and the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, as holidays. The Jewish new year holiday of Rosh Hashana will be a professional work day on Sept. 26. Orthodox Good Friday will be a professional work day on April 14. The Good Friday observed by Catholics and many Protestant Christians, and the new year holiday observed by Theravada Buddhists, will occur during spring break, April 3 to 7.

Three other days — the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr and the Lunar New Year holiday celebrated in East Asian countries — fall on nonschool days in the 2022-23 school year.

In the current school year's calendar, Yom Kippur, Orthodox Good Friday and Diwali were designated as religious and cultural observances, which are not a day off for students. But the Fairfax County Public Schools cannot schedule tests, quizzes, field trips, graduation, homecoming or athletic events on those observance days.

When developing the calendar, FCPS must consider state and federal laws, superintendent priorities, state guidance on community feedback and school board feedback.

"I want to thank our community for their involvement in the development of this calendar," said Stella Pekarksy, the school board's chair and Sully district representative. "This calendar has been a collaborative effort between staff, students, families and our community, and it truly supports our strategic plan goals of Student Success, Caring Culture, Premier Workforce, and Resource Stewardship."

For the 2022-23 school year, days designated as observances, or "O days," can have new instruction. Tests, quizzes and tryouts that cannot be rescheduled, as well as sporting events and other school events and activities, will remain prohibited on observance days.

Occasions that remain designated as observances are Día de los Muertos (Nov. 1-2), Bodhi Day (Dec. 8), Three Kings Day/Epiphany (Jan. 6), Orthodox Christmas (Jan. 7/weekend), Orthodox Epiphany (Jan. 19) and Ramadan (sundown on March 22 through April 21, observance on March 23).

Families of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds have advocated for Jewish, Hindu and Muslim observances to be added as holidays on the calendar.

One Jewish parent praised the new holiday additions in an email to Patch.

"We are relieved. This has been a long fight for equity for marginalized non-Christian religious families," said Anna Stolley Persky, a Jewish mother of three students at FCPS. "We have been begging for our most holy days off as part of the district's recognition of the diverse community Fairfax has become."

The calendar also adds Veterans Day on Nov. 11 as a student holiday and staff work day. There are 14 professional work days designated for teacher planning and professional development.

Aside from the newly added holidays, the calendar includes holidays for Labor Day from Sept. 2 to 5, Election Day on Nov. 8, Thanksgiving from Nov. 23 to 25, winter break from Dec. 19 to Jan. 2, Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 16, Presidents Day on Feb. 20, spring break from April 3 to 7, Memorial Day on May 29 and Juneteenth on June 19, which is a staff holiday.

See the full 2022-23 draft calendar here.