As school districts hold graduation on Eid al-Adha, Muslim group calls for more inclusivity

A Muslim advocacy group is calling for school districts to create policies to avoid conflicts with major religious holidays.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) released a statement on Thursday to express “deep concern and disappointment” as Burnsville and Hopkins high schools move forward with holding their graduation ceremonies on Friday, the same day as Eid al-Adha.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-MN, called the decisions by these schools “an equity and inclusion failure.”

“Other Minnesota school districts, even those with smaller Somali and Muslim populations, have proactively adjusted dates to ensure all families can fully participate in both their religious observances and school milestones,” Hussein said. “By refusing to do so, Burnsville and Hopkins send an unfortunate message: that Muslim families’ concerns are less valued and less worthy of accommodation.”

When reached for comment, both school districts said they’re taking steps to do better in the future.

When a scheduling conflict with Eid al-Adha became apparent back in March, the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District began considering a push to reschedule or hold a second ceremony. In April, the school district told families it concluded “it’s not feasible” to do so.

“As we create future calendars, the district will continue to solicit input from a variety of sources with the goal of supporting equitable access and high participation among students for regular school days and major events like graduation,” Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Superintendent Theresa Battle and Burnsville High School Principal Jesús Sandoval wrote.

A Hopkins Public Schools spokesperson said the school district tried to reschedule their ceremony at 3M Arena at Mariucci, but the University of Minnesota “could not accommodate a change on short notice.”

The district said it moved the ceremony back half an hour from noon to 12:30 p.m. and consulted with Muslim students and families on how to proceed.

“Hopkins has a strong record of honoring significant holidays in our calendar planning, including those observed by our Muslim and Jewish communities,” the spokesperson said. “This year’s conflict is a rare and unfortunate occurrence, and we remain committed to ensuring our future planning reflects the needs of all students and families.”

Brooklyn Center High School and Eden Prairie Schools opted to reschedule their ceremonies when similar concerns arose.