Houston Muslim Community Calls on School District to Reinstate Eid Holiday
The Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) has urged the Houston Independent School District (HISD) to reconsider its decision, expressing disappointment over the change.
"It’s a real disappointment right now," CAIR-Houston Director Will White said. "We hope HISD will see that this is the wrong move to make and that they will rescind this and hopefully make the right decision."
HISD first designated Eid as a school holiday in 2023 following requests from a multi-faith coalition.
In a statement on Tuesday, the district emphasized its commitment to diversity and explained that the academic calendar was shaped through stakeholder input while balancing instructional time with holiday observances, Huston Public Media reported on Tuesday.
The district’s board of managers unanimously approved the 2025-26 calendar last week without discussing the removal of the Eid holiday during the public portion of their meeting.
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While Eid falls on a weekend in the 2024-25 school year, it is expected to occur on a weekday in March 2026, yet it is not currently included in the district’s holiday schedule.
Community members have voiced concerns that the removal of the Eid holiday is exclusionary. Sana Younus, a Muslim parent with two children in HISD, said the decision contradicts the spirit of Eid, which emphasizes unity and communal prayer. "The prayer of Eid is done as a congregation, so thinking about how the district decided not to recognize it … It doesn’t feel fair. It really feels like an exclusion."
With an estimated 200,000 Muslims in the Houston area—the largest Muslim population in Texas—many families fear their children will be forced to choose between their education and religious observance.
White said the policy change has caused widespread concern among Muslim families, as students who wish to celebrate Eid may have to miss class while students of other faiths have designated holidays off.
HISD clarified that students would not be penalized for taking an excused absence on Eid and assured families that students could make up any missed work. However, some parents, including Younus, worry about the potential academic impact of missing a school day.
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"I would want them to join the celebration and the congregation and the prayer on that day," Younus said. "But I am also concerned that I don’t know what that day in their school is going to look like yet, if there is a test or an assignment that is due. … I’ll have to weigh that very carefully at the time."
The district’s calendar for 2025-26 includes a day off for Yom Kippur in October, as well as Chavez-Huerta Day and Good Friday in the spring.
Source: Agencies
