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New York City’s 2024-25 school calendar was set more than a year ago.
But the Education Department made a scheduling error for this week’s Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha and didn’t communicate about it until Tuesday morning, frustrating some principals as the school year entered the June homestretch.
New York City schools faced a particularly strange week: All schools are closed on Thursday for Eid al-adha/Anniversary Day. On Friday, though 6-12 and high schools are open, elementary and middle schools are closed to students while their staffers were expected to show up for a “clerical” day.
Schools typically use the day for grading and collaborating on planning for the year ahead. They often use the time to take tech inventory or address other classroom housekeeping issues. Some schools schedule kindergarten or sixth-grade student orientations and tours.
But in Tuesday’s weekly email from the Education Department to principals, amid a litany of other news, officials included a brief note that Friday would not be an in-person staff day as planned because of Eid. The holiday starts Thursday evening and goes into Friday. Several principals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, expressed annoyance at the last-minute change, questioning why it had not been communicated earlier or in a direct and transparent manner with officials owning up to their mistake.
One Manhattan elementary school principal wondered whether the Education Department failed to understand when the Muslim holiday began. The observance of the holiday is dependent on moon sightings, and it can shift year-to-year, officials said.
“The change was made to provide greater flexibility for educators to complete various end-of-year tasks,” Education Department spokesperson Chyann Tull said in a statement. “We are working closely with school leaders to support them in adjusting plans as needed.”
Students in grades 6-12 schools who need to be absent, late or depart early for observance of Eid may be excused, Education Department officials said.
“We had already planned a full day, including an in-person orientation for our incoming sixth graders,” said one Manhattan middle school principal, who scrambled on Tuesday to find teachers willing to volunteer to come in person to avoid canceling the orientation while also reworking the other staff activities for the day.
“Most of what we planned won’t translate to remote, or at least won’t translate without significant changes,” the principal said.
A Brooklyn middle school principal echoed similar concerns.
“We had a planned-out day dedicated to June-planning on teams and class list-making,” the principal said. “While that can technically happen remotely, it will greatly diminish productivity and actual preparedness for the close of the year and the start of next year. It’s a real shame.”
Some school leaders, however, were pleased with the change — even if they were critical of the way it was communicated.
“I think the impact is relieved happiness overall and for some staff members who are observing Eid, overall relief,” one Bronx assistant principal said. “I anticipated this was going to be a low staff attendance day anyway.”
This isn’t the first time New York City schools made a last-minute pivot to remote on this particular day. Two years ago, air pollution from Canadian wildfires forced schools to go remote for staffers on clerical day as well as students in schools that run from grades 6-12.
“But that was an external and last-minute thing due to an emergency,” one Manhattan elementary school principal said, unlike this year’s switcheroo.
Another Manhattan elementary principal recalled having to cancel a kindergarten orientation that day of the wildfires — and having to do damage control the entire next year for the parents who were still upset over not being able to have an in-person tour. That principal no longer uses that day for orientations, but was still scrambling on Tuesday to come up with a Plan B for school staffers, including office staff, whose work is harder to do remotely.
“The last-minute scramble and the gaps in communication — it’s a frustrating pattern that has happened over multiple chancellors,” the principal said. “It’s a whole ripple effect.”
Many principals were pleased, however, that the Education Department has already addressed an issue with next year’s calendar, making Friday, Jan. 2 a day off so there isn’t a one-day week after winter break.
“This isn’t the biggest thing, but it just doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence,” the Manhattan middle school principal said of this week’s last-minute change. “On the positive side, they did take away Jan. 2… but at least with that one there is plenty of advance warning so everyone can plan accordingly.”
Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy atazimmer@chalkbeat.org.
