An area Arab American parent group is working with Ann Arbor Public Schools to ask the Michigan Department of Education to not schedule state exams on major religious holidays.
School board members and Superintendent Jeanice Swift have drafted a letter to the state with the advice of the Ann Arbor Arab American Parent Support Group, requesting that changes be made to accommodate the “most important holidays of each of the most populous religions in Michigan.”
The letter asks that the state not schedule mandated exams on those holidays, and that flexibility be given to local school districts to change the exam schedule if needed to be consistent with local culture.
The Board of Education unanimously approved the letter Wednesday night that will be sent to Governor Rick Sndyer, state Superintendent Mike Flanagan, members of the state Board of Education, majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate, as well as Washtenaw County lawmakers and statewide media outlets.
“I really appreciate the work that was done on this resolution,” said board President Deb Mexicotte. “I do think that we strive to be sensitive to all cultural traditions that are encompassed in AAPS.”
The action comes after a conflict that arose this fall for many families, as one of the holiest days for Muslisms—Eid al-Adha—fell on the same day as MEAP testing in the district in mid-October.
Eid, which was Oct. 15 this year, is a Muslim celebration that’s also known as the Feast of Sacrifice that honors Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God. It’s a time of prayer, sharing meals and gifts.
Though it’s not a federal holiday, it is recognized on the AAPS calendar as a three-star religious holiday—a designation that means major exams, reviews for those exams or standardized tests can’t be scheduled on that day.
With the state’s standardized MEAP test scheduled for Oct. 15 this year, the district’s only option to allow those that would like to honor the holiday during the testing would have been to close the entire district.
To prevent the conflict between the religious holiday and state standardized testing in the future, Ann Arbor school officials are asking the Department of Education to give local school districts more control to vary their exam schedules, and to take religious holidays in to account when setting test dates.
“While this particular holiday and this instance prompted it, you will see … that what we’re seeking the state to do is very generic and is not particularly related to any particular religious faith,” said Trustee Glenn Nelson.
Nelson said trustees and school officials are planning to present the letter and the request before the Michigan Board of Education.