District 181 considering calendar changes

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Updated: March 3, 2012 8:32AM

Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 is considering the use of a survey to see if parents would prefer to have the school year end a day earlier, rather than continue having Good Friday off as a school holiday.

District 181 traditionally has been off on Good Friday, calling it a special school holiday.

The District 181 Board discussed a possible survey at its Jan. 23 meeting before tentatively approving school calendars for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years.

Good Friday falls during spring break during the 2012-13 school year, but that isn’t the case in 2013-14. Spring break in 2013-14 is scheduled for March 24-28; Good Friday is April 18, a date in the tentative calendar listed as having “no school,” without any additional explanation.

On another calendar matter, the board approved putting on display for public review a revision to a policy regarding major religious holidays.

A March 11, 2011 revision to that policy, which was a paragraph stating that reasonable efforts should be made to avoid scheduling conflicts for events and activities on days of major religious holidays or observances, has been eliminated in the newest revision suggested by the board.

Superintendent Renee Schuster said the board decided it wanted to instead use the policy recommended by the Policy Reference Education Subscription Service of the Illinois Association of School Boards. That policy, which is available for public review, is more general. Residents may view the proposed policy at the Hinsdale or Clarendon Hills libraries, the district offices at 6010 S. Elm St., Burr Ridge, or online at www.d181.org.

Schuster also said she will continue to make every attempt to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Scheduling events and activities around religious holidays became an issue in District 181 in the fall of 2010 when cross country teams from Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills middle schools were unable to participate in two meets at other schools because the meets were on the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, prompting a district administrator to remove the meets from the schedule.