Walking through the lively hallways of Niles North, you look left and see a hijabi texting away on her iPhone. You look right and see a boy wearing a yamaka briskly moving toward class with a math textbook. You look ahead and see people of different religions, experiences, and beliefs. You see diversity, and you embrace that diversity.

Niles North is home to students and faculty believing in a variety of faiths. We have the ability to display our beliefs through our clothing, participation in clubs, and discussions within the school walls. Originally attending a Chicago public school, my transition into Skokie schools was one of the most positive experiences I’ve had as I immediately felt welcomed despite wearing the hijab. That being said, although my experiences at Niles North have been overwhelmingly positive in terms of religious acceptance, I have had an issue dealing with the current holiday policies in place.

At a Board of Education meeting two weeks ago, a policy proposing a holiday neutral schedule in which all district schools would be in session on the days of Eid-ul-Adha, Eid-ul-Fitr, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday was approved. This decision was made after careful consideration and by the school board’s vote to create a fair schedule for every student in the district.

“In my opinion this decision was made based on fairness and equality. The board has not taken away the rights to observe, but have given the choice of engaging in religious holidays to the students and their families,” Linda Lampert, Board of Education member, said.

At first glance, I was in favor of the new policy understanding the need for fairness in a district where many religions are practiced. For three out of the four years I’ve been a student in Niles North, I have attended school on Eid-ul-Adha because there was no designated non-attendance day for this Islamic holiday. I witnessed my friends of Jewish and Christian faith celebrate Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday without the stress of having to make up missed assignments. I also watched my Muslim friends struggle with the overbearing load of tests and homework to make-up simply for missing one day of school.

“When I had to take the day off for Eid-ul-Adha , I missed three quizzes and had to make them up on my own time. This was a hassle. I don’t think it’s fair to not give a majority of kids who observe this holiday one day off and it’s definitely not fair for them to have to make up the missed work,” Sadia Ahmed, junior, said.

As you can imagine, I initially agreed with the new policy advocating for a neutral schedule to provide the same sense of importance for every religious holiday. Upon researching more, however, I found that I no longer agreed with the idea of not giving students a chance to celebrate holy days with a peace of mind. The Board of Education had made an attempt this year to schedule a non-attendance day for Eid-ul-Adha, but this attempt was impeded due to the unpredictability of the lunar calendar and the inability to determine if this Islamic holiday would land on a weekday. To me, this is a fairy reasonable justification as to why a day of non-attendance was not scheduled for Muslim students and staff.

Still, I chose to come to school on Eid to avoid missing any vital schoolwork and was unable to spend time with my family celebrating the values meant to be upheld on this holiday. I believe no student should have to make the decision to choose between staying on track with assignments or spending valuable time with family and in touch with their faith. Niles North celebrates its diversity, and instead of making students and staff pick between an either/or question, we should be standing in unity with our peers by creating a schedule that accompanies the holidays of all different faiths.

“Although I see the reasoning behind making a fair schedule, I think the better option is to give all religious students a day off for their holidays and prevent teachers from taking sick days. This decision is one that can go both ways though,” Kayla Chinitz, senior, said.

Amidst the opposing views, I stand by my position and would rather come to school a few more days at the end of May if it means that my peers and I get to stay in touch with our values and ourselves.