Jewish families accused the Carroll school board of anti-Semitism because it closes schools during Christian holidays but not on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur.
“People say there is no anti-Semitism up here; people say they understand,” Leila Liberman, a parent, told the school board. “I wonder what is happening.” About a dozen other students and parents accused the Carroll school systemof catering to Christians by closing for Christmas and calling it winter break and closing for Easter while calling it spring break.
Jewish teachers are left to use vacation days so they can celebrate their most significant holidays, and students said they fall behind in their work by skipping school.
Under state law, every county must close during Christian holidays, but a significant attendance drop must be likely to justify closing on other religious holidays.
“We need a secular reason to close; we can?t just close for religious reasons,” said Steve Guthrie, assistant superintendent. “If we had a significant absenteeism and we couldn?t open, schools could close.”
All four of the other metropolitan counties ? Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford and Howard ? have Rosh Hashanah off, and Frederick County closes schools on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Carroll?s school system would have to expect attendance to fall 5 percent before considering closing, Guthrie said.
“I have a disadvantage to others in my grade because of my beliefs,” said Nathaniel Foote, a seventh-grader at Westminster Middle School. “I think about how I am going to be punished by my teachers for being a Jew. It causes the Jewish students in Carroll County to dread the most important Jewish holidays.”
