Rochester to Accept Good Friday Off

Without relinquishing their stance that Good Friday should remain a full school day, members of the Rochester School Committee have decided to acquiesce to the school administration’s recommendation to restore Good Friday as a day off from school “for the good of the community” and the school in general.

Having faced strong opposition over the past two years since school doors opened on the religious day of observance, the Rochester School Committee agreed that energy spent debating the matter is better spent elsewhere.

“I made my feelings known that I didn’t think it was appropriate to have a religious holiday off,” said Chairman Tina Rood, referring to the last time she attended the Joint School Committee meeting and the issue was resurrected.

This school year on Good Friday school doors will be closed, a decision arrived at last year when Joint members acknowledged that Good Friday comes on the last day before April vacation. The decision to close school that day was, in essence, a slight extension to the April break.

Over the past two years, absenteeism has been high on Good Friday for both students and staff, with the district unable to find enough substitute teachers and paraprofessionals to cover for absent staff.

The Rochester School Committee has all along maintained its stance on keeping religion separate from public schools, but it now concedes that continuing to hold classes on Good Friday might be to the detriment of the students.

School Committee member Sharon Hartley lamented that the issue has become a contentious one between those who want Good Friday off and the school committee members who want to see school open that day.

“It’s too bad,” said Hartley. “We should be able to come to a cohesive decision and support each other. I feel that that is a detriment to our schools…”

Superintendent Doug White said the struggle is real to find substitute teachers on a daily basis, let alone on a day when so many staff members choose to stay home given the opportunity to do so for religious observance.

“When we add a day like this and teachers have the opportunity to take this day [off]… we feel that we’re really stretching our personnel,” White said.

Hartley added, “We need to be able to come to resolution together about it. We can’t go on…. I just feel that it’s not healthy.”

Robin Rounseville concurred, agreeing that Good Friday should not be a day off. She said she preferred the day be handled differently, calling the result a “wishy-washy” day when students and staff weren’t sure if they had to truly come to school, and important exams could not be held, lest absent students be punished for observing Good Friday.

“And I can appreciate the point that [White] brought up about finding substitutes,” said Rounseville.

At this point in time, said Hartley, “…For the good of the community,” the committee should accept Good Friday as a day off from school.

There will be other battles for the school committee to fight in the future, said Rounseville. “We ought to just save our energy for those.”

The next meeting of the Rochester School Committee is scheduled for March 23 at 4:30 pm at the ORRJHS media room.

By Jean Perry

 

Leave A Comment...

*