The school day starts as normal, teachers give lessons, students turn in assignments or finish tests, and the morning announcements are played. But for some students, that normal school day falls on one of the most important religious holidays of the year. Which means that students have to choose between the two, faith and responsibilities. Either they celebrate with family and observe important traditions, but worry about what they will fall behind on, or go to school, and keep up with the work, but miss out on celebrating important practices.
In today’s world, religious holidays outside of the most commonly recognized ones often go unnoticed. Zahra Habibi, an IHS sophomore, said, “I feel that schools support some religious holidays, mostly Christian ones. They don’t include any Muslims, Hindus, or people of other religions. This isn’t very inclusive because some students get to not go to school during Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc., and not have to worry about making up schoolwork, whereas students of other religions don’t have that advantage.” This is true, as the school breaks were formed for taking days off for Christian holidays, like Christmas or Easter, and are still followed today.
As a result, students of other faiths are expected to manage their school responsibilities, while also honoring important religious observances, even when that means missing important information or tests at school. Right now, many schools only support students by allowing excused absences for religious holidays, but that is often not enough. Even with excused absences, students still have to miss important lessons, or tests that are difficult to make up for to celebrate. Missing just one day can create a lot of stress when they return. Habibi added that, “Personally, celebrating Eid during school has conflicted with my attendance and I missed out on some school. This year I missed an important test.” Similarly, Divija Ghosh, an IHS freshman, replied, “I have missed school sometimes to travel to celebrate.”
Given these challenges, schools should do better at recognizing religious holidays that are important in other religions, such as the Islamic holiday of Eid, the Hindu holiday of Diwali, the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, and the Chinese Lunar New Year. Specifically, ISD does have a section on their website listing, “Religious and Cultural Days That May Impact Student Learning, Issaquah School District 2025-2026.” But beyond that, nothing really.
As schools become bigger, and they garner a more diverse student body, the need for recognition of a larger range of religious holidays grows. Students from many unique faith backgrounds attend schools around the country, including IHS, yet not all of their traditions are acknowledged equally. This unequal recognition can make students feel like their beliefs are less important or invisible within the community. A school environment that values inclusion should make every student feel respected and included, no matter their faith.
On the other hand, the BYU Education & Law Journal, states that schools should focus more on academic excellence, as many families practice each religion differently. Many students also celebrate different holidays, which makes it hard for schools to cancel school or classes for every religious observance. They also argue that having more days off would make it harder to get the required number of school days. Their viewpoint as a Mormon college gives them a more informed perspective on this debate.
However, excused absences alone do not fully solve the problem. Recognizing religious holidays does not mean schools need to close for every observance, but it does mean schools can, and should, take simple steps to further support students. Some support strategies include announcements, adding events to spread awareness, and recognition in calendars and emails. These small steps can make big differences without hurting education. Habibi expanded, “I feel like even something as small as an announcement will make lots of students happy to be recognized, and it will give others more knowledge about other religions. Also, days off would be nice.” Lastly, Ghosh said, “Schools can have a little segment in their daily announcements where they recognize the holiday and explain what it is.”
Recent changes in schools show that better recognition is possible, and happening. In New York, schools close for major Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and students are also given two days off for the Islamic holiday of Eid. Another example includes Washington State, as in 2025, it became the first U.S. state to officially recognize Eid as a state-recognized holiday. According to Education Week, a non-profit news organization covering K-12 education news, “Students and families say recognition of major holidays helps build a sense of belonging and trust in schools.” Not only do these changes show that schools can recognize important religious holidays while still keeping academics a priority, but they also show that it can positively affect the relationship between a student and a school.
No student should feel like observing their faith comes at the cost of falling behind in school. The key question is: If schools are fully committed to inclusion, why are students still forced to choose between their faith and responsibilities?
