BY CHRISTINE WOLFF
The Cincinnati Enquirer
BLUE ASH -- Plans to close Sycamore schools on two Jewish holidays this school year have prompted a request from other religious groups: Recognize all minority holidays or none at all.
Members of the Islamic and Hindu faiths told the Sycamore school board Wednesday that the new school calendar is discriminatory in how it treats religious holidays.
The district's new calendar -- adopted last spring on a two-year trial basis -- gives students two days off this fall on the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
The Jewish holy days are the only religious days treated as official school holidays in Sycamore schools, except for Christmas.
Singling out the Jewish holidays "gives one group of children an advantage over another," Zeinab Schwen, a Muslim from Symmes Township with three children in Sycamore schools, told the board.
"While we commend this school for taking this step toward religious sensitivity; in principle, you have given one minority group privileges over another, which results in unequal treatment," she said. "We are asking for fair treatment of every ethnic group."
The board took no action Wednesday but said the issue may be sent to the district's planning commission for further study. It is likely no changes would be made in the calendar during the trial period, Superintendent Bruce Armstrong said.
A letter to the board from Majed Dabdoub, president of the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, requested a return to the old calendar or the addition of days off for Islamic holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, celebrated in the winter and spring.
Ramesh K. Shanbhag, a Hindu from Symmes Township, served on a Sycamore calendar committee in 1993 that voted against closing the schools on Jewish holy days and the Christian holy day of Good Friday. He wants the Sycamore board to return to the consensus of that committee of lay people and clergy.
"It is not practical to have every religious group represented," Mr. Shanbhag said. "The best solution is to say, "We will respect everybody's holiday, put it on the calendar, disseminate information about it,' but do not make the religious holiday of any one group cause" for closing school.
Mr. Armstrong recommended closing on the Jewish holidays because it is difficult to conduct class on those days when so many students stay home. He estimated that 11 percent to 15 percent of Sycamore's student population is Jewish. Students missing class for religious purposes are given an excused absence.
"This is not a matter of promoting any religion. This is a matter of looking at the absenteeism and the quality of the schoolday," Mr. Armstrong said. "We simply changed to schedule around those days."
Ohio school districts are required to schedule 182 school days, of which classes must be in session a minimum of 175 days. Districts may close schools five days because of weather or other problems and schedule two non-class days for parent-teacher meetings.
Julie Irwin and Kerry Marsh contributed to this report.
