The Portland Public School board has voted unanimously to add Yom Kippur and Eid al-Fitr to the district's holiday calendar next year.
District Superintendent Ryan Scallon said the idea to add the non-Christian religious holidays originated with students at Deering High School.
Senior Khalid Mahamed told the board that missing school time for Eid Al-Fitr has affected his schoolwork.
"I have been set behind on days, missing hours of sleep and from time to time, when I can't make up those days of school hours, I do get set behind and that does affect my GPA," said Mahamed.
Scallon said the change approved Tuesday night is to accommodate growing numbers of students and staff who observe these religious holidays.
Sarah Lentz, Portland Public Schools board chair, says the board chose to limit the additions to one high holiday from Judaism and one from Islam.
"The attempt in this calendar is to move towards including all major holidays from the holidays that our students celebrate. But we can’t get there all the way yet," Lentz said.
The vote Tuesday does not represent a change in policy, so the board will have to vote on these additional holidays each year, but Scallon said the intention is that both religious holidays remain on the school calendar going forward.
Scallon said the two additional holidays will cost the district $130,000 in holiday pay for ed techs and other hourly staff who wouldn't otherwise work that day.
Portland is the second district in Maine to add Eid al-Fitar to its calendar, after Lewiston Public Schools did so back in 2021.
