COMMENT: Yom Kippur (Monday, September 25) Jews are obliged to observe the day and you are forcing them to go to school against their religion because you can’t take those days and move the school day to the date I wrote at the top, Tuesday, September 26. No wonder enrollment has been declining. I wrote the 26th because the 25th is Yom Kippur and Jews are being forced to go against their religion just like they were during the Holocaust by the Nazis. This is 2023, not the 1940s. Maybe the school would be more diverse if you respected their religion and do what Niskayuna does; then, enrollment will go up. Niskayuna has a higher diversity and enrollment rate because they respect their students’ religions and cultures. This is something to consider for the 2024-25 school year. Rosh Hashanah (Wednesday, October 2, 2024,) and Yom Kippur (Friday, October 11, 2024). Please respond in a timely manner, thank you and have a quality and meaningful fast, if you celebrate Yom Kippur!

RESPONSE: Scotia-Glenville Central School District is highly respectful of cultural and religious holidays. If staff or students miss school for a religious observation, it won’t be counted as an absence. We believe it is important for everyone to have the freedom to practice their beliefs.