“Many religions and faith practices are represented in our community, and we honor the celebrations that occur during the school year. On days when students are celebrating, their absence is school-sanctioned. At school, teachers will not give assessments (tests, quizzes, essays, projects, presentations) and will allow for extensions for homework as needed.” This statement is  from the 2024-25 handbook under the religious holiday policy.

Within Parker’s official school calendar, there are nine federal holidays observed including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and  Memorial Day. However, between September and June, there are over twenty religious and ethnic holidays that many students and faculty celebrate, such as Rosh Hashanah, Easter, and Diwali. Parker recognizes fourteen of them in its handbook, but states that “We recognize that this list is not exhaustive and will extend grace for all additional celebrations.” Parker, like many other schools, doesn’t take these holidays off because it would interfere with the academic calendar, yet it has been brought to the attention of the administration that many students and parents find it disrespectful to assign homework and have assessments on these holidays and due on these holidays.

“I don’t know all of the holidays that this [the homework ban] would apply to, but I do know that Parker is pretty inclusive,” junior and Christian Student Alliance member Xavier Irons said. “For example, on Holi, I think there were no tests and no homework.” This year, Holi began the morning of March 13 and ended the following morning. Students who celebrate the holiday and those who do not were not required to complete homework or have any assessments. Furthermore, teachers were not supposed to assign any. However, this was not the case in every classroom. 

“The assignment ban is not equitable for all religions. I personally had Indian holidays where I was given quizzes or homework or anything at all” junior Naia Trukenbrod said. 

Freshman and Jewish Student Connection member Olivia Marquez feels differently. “I think that all religions are included and respected, and Parker makes a big effort to acknowledge all religious days.”

Not only do the holidays and bans affect students, but they also take a toll on the faculty and staff regarding what their lesson plans will become and how they will teach that day.  Teachers also celebrate a number of these holidays. “Well, I know sometimes the administration likes to mention the holidays, but sometimes I guess, holidays are overshadowed,” Irons said. “I know sometimes with the tests and homework, a collective of teachers just ignore it even though they are supposed to follow it.” 

“This is my first year at Parker, so I’ve heard that they’re trying to make more of an effort to recognize all religious holidays,” Marquez said. “Because of this, I think that school should definitely, if they’re going to ban homework for some days, ban it for all religious days.”

Due to the knowledge that some faculty disregard the celebrations and might not be accounting for the variation of cultures celebrated on these days, many students wonder if the school is catering to only a couple of specific religions. 

“I think not all holidays having banned work is probably because there’s a smaller population of the less talked about holidays, but also probably because they [the administration] know they would get more of a protest if they didn’t ban work for a lot of religions,” Trukenbrod said. 

Students should not feel compelled to report concerns to the Parker administration or a parent in order to have their faith acknowledged during cultural celebrations or at any time. Creating an inclusive environment involves recognizing and respecting the diverse identities and beliefs of all individuals in the building. “It’s time to look at all religious holidays, and be more tolerant of other viewpoints and religions,” Trukenbrod said.