Jewish community urges HISD to revisit calendar

Some Jewish Houston residents and Houston ISD community members are urging the state’s largest school district to restore the school holiday during one of the High Holy Days to the proposed academic calendar for the 2024-25 school year.

HISD announced last week that it was asking for community feedback until Friday on two draft calendar options for the upcoming school year. Neither of the options include a school holiday during either of the High Holidays, which are the two most significant holidays in the Jewish faith.

Both versions of HISD’s calendar have a fall holiday scheduled on Friday, Oct. 11, which is the same day Yom Kippur begins. However, Yom Kippur begins during sundown on Oct. 11 and ends at nightfall on Saturday Oct. 12, meaning that the holiday is scheduled to occur after the school day ends instead of during the scheduled fall holiday.

Members of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism and other Jewish groups are urging the district to move the fall holiday to Oct. 3 so it falls during Rosh Hashanah instead of before Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah, which marks the start to the Jewish New Year, begins on sundown on Wednesday, Oct. 2 and ends at nightfall on Friday, Oct. 4.

Houston ISD spokesperson Joseph Sam said the district had received more than 4,000 responses to its survey about its calendar options and “will consider all input before proposing a final recommended calendar to the school board.”

Erica Winsor, a public affairs officer for the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, said HISD has typically given students and employees a holiday on Yom Kippur if it is during the week, or a holiday for Rosh Hashanah if Yom Kippur is during the weekend.

Winsor said Jewish students will be disadvantaged if they have to miss class for their religious holidays during the upcoming school year, and she hopes HISD moves the date of the holiday before the calendar is finalized. The appointed Board of Managers is expected to vote on the calendar on Feb. 8.

“We have (a) diverse student population, and this would be a way for HISD to show that they support their students who have this minority faith, support the Jewish community and allow us to observe our holy days the way that we hope that anyone gets to observe their holy days, too.” Windsor said.

Both calendar options include a spring holiday on April 18, which is Good Friday, a Christian holiday commemorating Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. Each option also has a school holiday on March 31 to honor labor leaders César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, which also provides students and employees with a day off for Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday.

Houston ISD announced last year that it would recognize Eid as a spring holiday for the first time, in addition to Good Friday and Yom Kippur, in its school calendars.