Eid al-Adha, the second major holiday in Islam, was officially recognized by New York City public schools in 2016. But until recently, the date didn’t impact the school calendar. Because the holiday follows the lunar calendar and shifts by 10 or 11 days each year, it has consistently fallen during summer break for the last few years. Because of this it was never an issue to give students the day off from school.

This changed in the 2023–24 academic year, when Eid al-Adha landed in mid-June. For the first time, the DOE gave students a day off for the holiday. Last year, students were off on June 17th, which was the second day of Eid, since the first day, June 16th, landed on a Sunday.

This year however, the DOE has given students off June 5th, the day before Eid al-Adha. It may seem insignificant, but the mismatch between the day off and the actual holiday has sparked frustration among Muslim students. For observant Muslim students, Eid al-Adha is not just a day off, it is a time for morning prayer, visiting family, and community gatherings.

“The DOE has frequently gotten  Muslim holiday dates wrong so it’s not surprising. However, they should expect that many Muslim students will be absent on Friday,” said Fareeda Empapy, a high school junior.

“I didn’t even know that Eid wouldn’t be on the day we were off,” said Farah Noman, another junior. “I wish the DOE calendar focused on putting an accurate date for our holidays.”

“When my Mom told me the holiday was on the wrong day I was really surprised, of course I”ll be absent Friday to go to  the mosque  to pray,” said Ibrahim Wallee a nursing student who is rarely absent.