Students, parents push for southern Twin Cities school district to change graduation scheduled for major Muslim holiday
Graduation is important for every student, but dozens of students in one metro district could be forced to choose between the rite of passage and their religion.
For Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191, graduation is scheduled for June 6 — the same day as Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim religious holiday — leaving Ifrah Ibrahim and more than 60 other Somali students feeling left out.
"I'm pretty sure schools canceled when it's Christmas — not fair," Ibrahim said. "I would separate those days, so they don't interfere with each other because both are very exciting."
The exact date of Eid al-Adha shifts each year. The holiday cannot be predicted months in advance, which makes scheduling events like graduation difficult.
Now, students and parents are pushing for change so they don't have to make a tough choice.
"They should understand their students, what they practice and what's special for them," Saciido Shaie, a concerned parent, said.
A petition calling for the district to move the graduation date has already earned 800 signatures.
In an email, a district spokesperson says, "Graduation is a community-wide celebration every year and we always work to navigate the diverse needs that are part of that."
This is the second time this year a school district faced this issue.
A few months ago, after Eden Prairie families packed a school board meeting, the district moved the graduation date to avoid conflict.
It's a move Jaylani Hussein with the Council on American-Islamic Relations believes Burnsville should follow.
"We are asking school districts to really move the date," Hussein said. "It's a choice of logistics, very simple.
