NYC to Close Public Schools During Entire Passover Holiday, Parent-Teacher Conference Issue Yet to be Resolved

By Matis Glenn

The New York City Department of Education agreed Monday to amend the 2023-2024 school calendar to close schools during the entire holiday of Passover, after a push from City Councilman Eric Dinowitz, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic and other elected officials. Previously, the last two days of the holiday were set to be open for classes.

The Association of Orthodox Jewish Teachers, a group which advocates for the accommodation of observant Jewish faculty and students in public schools, concerned teachers and parents of special-needs children, brought the issue – as well as a parent-teacher conference scheduled to be held on a Friday night – to the attention of city councilmembers and state assemblymembers. Dinowitz and Rozic wrote an impassioned letter on June 9 to Chancellor David Banks, explaining how it was impossible for observant Jews to work or go to school on Jewish holidays, and that at a time of increasing antisemitism and bias, public schools need to be at the forefront of tolerance and accommodation.

While the issue of Passover has been resolved, the parent-teacher conference scheduling date has not yet been changed.

“As the Jewish community is facing unprecedented anti-Semitism, at the very least, school should be a safe haven from discrimination,” said Rozic. “I hope the DOE calendar’s conflicts with religious observances were an oversight that will be quickly remedied and rescheduled to make it clear that New York City, home of the largest Jewish population in the country, respects and accommodates our Jewish families.”

Dinowitz said that the schedule would force Jewish faculty and students into a choice between their faith and their education.

“If the proposed school year calendar remains as is, Jewish students, families, and faculty will face significant challenges due to conflicts with religious observances, which essentially forces a choice between their faith and their education,” said Dinowitz. “We are calling on the DOE to recognize the Jewish community’s needs and demonstrate its commitment to fostering an inclusive and welcoming educational environment. Our schools must serve as a model for inclusiveness and as a safe haven from discrimination, and a culturally-competent school year calendar is the bare minimum step it can take to achieve this. I look forward to DOE resolving this quickly.”

The letter was signed by a bipartisan group of City Council members and State Assemblymembers, including councilmembers Inna Vernikov, Julie Mennen, Kalman Yeger, Farrah Louis, Marjorie Valazquez, Lincoln Restler, and Keith Powers, together with Assemblymembers Simcha Eichenstein, Stacey Pfeffer Amato, Daniel Rosenthal, David Weprin, and Deborah Glick.

A total of 28 elected officials signed on the letter.

Dinowitz says that the issue was escalated all the way up to Mayor Eric Adams.

“Our NYC Schools did the right thing by amending their calendar to include the last two days of Passover as days off,” Dinowitz said in a statement. “Education is the most important tool we have in shaping our city’s future, and it must be inclusive of all faiths. Mayor Eric Adams, Chancellor David C. Banks, and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for New York City Schools, Mark Treyger, have demonstrated that our NYC school system is responsive to the needs of our diverse communities that make up our student body. It is consequential for our city that we have a school system that is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”