Will You Stay Home from School for Eid al-Adha?

Muslim or not, some religious and government leaders are calling on teachers and kids to stay home from Montgomery County Public Schools for Eid al-Adha, the Islam holiday that honors the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. 

Montgomery County Councilman George Leventhal (D-At Large) announced Monday that he's behind the push to acknowledge Muslim holidays on the school calendar—which already lets staff and students off for Christian and Jewish holidays like Easter and Rosh Hashanah.

"Currently, the thousands of Muslim MCPS staff members and students have to choose between their education and observing their religious practices," said Leventhal in a statement.

"They either skip school to celebrate Eids or they skip their religious observances to attend school. Many choose to do the latter. However, this is not a choice that our Christian and Jewish neighbors face on their holidays. I intend to keep my own son home from school on Oct. 15 as a sign of solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters and I urge parents from all religious and spiritual backgrounds to do the same."

Students who provide a note from their parent or guardian will receive an excused abscense, according to Leventhal's statement. 

Only six school districts acknowledge Eid holidays, the councilman's statement said: Burlington, Vt., Cambridge, Mass., Dearborn, Mi.; Paterson, N.J.; Skokie, Ill.; and Trenton, N.J.

(See MCPS' full calendar of holidays on Patch.)

Will you keep your kids home on Oct. 15?