Since the 1990s, Wellesley Public Schools have been closed on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday, in addition to the mandated statewide legal holidays. In recent years, requests have been made to add additional religious/cultural holidays to the calendar, and in December 2023 the School Committee voted to add three holidays to the 2024-2025 calendar: Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, and Diwali. This past spring, a task force was appointed to study the recognition of religious/cultural holidays and make recommendations. The Task Force considered several options, ranging from a statewide-holidays-only option to this year’s 6-holiday option.
Last week, the Task Force presented their recommended option to the School Committee. This option retains Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Lunar New Year as holidays. It also adds either Eid Al-Fitr or Eid Al-Adha (depending on the year) and removes Good Friday and Diwali…