The Swellesley Report

The School Committee on Nov. 19 will take a vote on the Academic Calendar Task Force‘s recommendations regarding the observance of religious and cultural holidays within the Wellesley Public Schools Academic Calendar.

The School Committee will deliberate during public Zoom meetings on Nov. 12 and Nov. 19, and there will be opportunities for public comment. Feedback can also be communicated via email to school_committee@wellesleyps.org

The recommendations

The Academic Task Force recommends that starting with the 2025-26 school year, four static holidays should be included as days off. The envisioned breakdown is that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur should be retained as holidays, while Lunar New Year, and Eid al-Fitr (or Eid Al-Adha, depending on the year) should be added. The removal of Diwali and Good Friday is recommended.

Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday have been included as days off since the 1990s, ending the previous policy of keeping schools open during religious and cultural holidays. Diwali made its first appearance on the school calendar for the 2024-25 school year. If the School Committee votes to accept the Task Force’s recommendations, Lunar New Year and Eid will be added for the first time, reflecting not only an increase in diversity in Wellesley, but the school community’s desire that all religious and cultural communities feel valued and represented.

Although Good Friday is celebrated by far more survey respondents than any other holiday listed, a memo from task force leaders and School Committee members asserted: “Survey results indicated less consensus around the need for a no-school holiday for Good Friday, especially among parents/caregivers and teachers/staff.”

The 25-member Academic Calendar Task Force, which has held about a dozen public meetings since April 2024, is headed up by School Committee chair Linda Chow and vice chair  Niki Ofenlach. Rounding out the group are Wellesley Public Schools parents and caregivers, including former School Committee member Leda Eizenberg, who serves as the Task Force secretary; Wellesley public schools staff members and leaders, including Supt. David Lussier; and four WHS students.

Survey says…

Results from 6,700 surveys sent out to teachers/staff, parents/caregivers and students (8th – 12th grades) in mid-September reflected that high-importance holiday-related issues included maximizing summer break. Seems the emotional end to the school year is now officially June 19 (Juneteenth), a federal holiday since 2021, and thus a day off. The motivation to head back to school after that day in order to get in the requisite 180 days is pretty much nonexistent. Also, a lack of air conditioning in some school buildings has become a hot-button issue over the past few years. Minimizing child care needs during the school year, as well as ensuring all religious and cultural communities feel valued and represented on the academic calendar were also strong themes that emerged from the survey results.

Out of the 2,607 surveys that were filled out (a 39% response rate), Wellesley Middle School’s 8th graders deserve a shout-out for their high level of engagement—84% of them chimed in, representing 262 total responses. Since we brought this up, the rest of the survey participation results broke down as follows:

Teachers & Staff: 468 responses (42%)
Parents/Caregivers: 1,333 responses (approx. 33%)
WMS Students (8th grade only): 262 responses (84%)
WHS Students: 560 responses (44%)
Note: Teachers/staff members who are also parents are represented in both categories.

Celebrants and observers

The survey results reflect the number of respondents that celebrate/observe holidays listed in the survey break down as follows:

• Rosh Hashanah 307
• Yom Kippur: 298
• Good Friday: 803
• Diwali: 78
• Lunar New Year: 293
• Eid al-Fitr: 97
• None of these: 1,114

Write-in holidays with 15+ responses, a category that could indicate where future discussions on holidays could go, included:

• Eastern Orthodox Easter (21)
• Eastern Orthodox Good Friday (23)
• Eid al-Adha (65)
• Mid-Autumn Festival (21)
• Eastern Orthodox Christmas (15)
• Passover (18)

Attend the next meetings

Nov. 12—School Committee meeting (Zoom link to be provided soon)

Nov. 19—School Committee meeting (Zoom link to be provided soon)
Vote will be taken on Academic Task Force’s recommendations for the 2025-26 school calendar