(JTA) — Schools in a Maryland school district would close for the Jewish High Holidays but without identifying the reason under a recommendation by its superintendent.
The Montgomery County Board of Education will vote Tuesday on the recommendation by Joshua Starr on removing the religious designation for the days off from the public schools calendar, NBC Washington reported.
The issue behind the recommendation is that the county schools are closed for Jewish holidays but not Muslim holidays.
Muslim students and parents are expected to demonstrate before the meeting on Tuesday, according to NBC.
Schools would still close on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, according to Starr’s recommendation.
In 2015, Yom Kippur and the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha fall on the same day.
Montgomery County public schools have closed for the High Holidays for at least four decades because of the significant number of students and teachers who are absent on those days. The Muslim population is not large enough to warrant making it a school holiday.
