To the editor:
This past Monday, Jan. 15, was the federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As with other federal holidays, many private businesses and public organizations, including schools — locally, state-wide and nationally — were closed in observance of the day.
The calendar of the Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union indicates students had no school on Monday, but the Dr. King holiday is not listed by name. Students also had days off on Labor Day, Yom Kippur, Indigenous People’s Day, Veterans Day and Memorial Day. The OSSU calendar lists each of those federal holidays by name.
Why was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day not named on the OSSU calendar?
Monday, Jan. 15, teachers in schools in the OSSU had a “professional development day.” They were at their schools and worked.
If not at work, what a person does on a federal holiday is a personal choice. Ignoring Dr. King’s name and requiring work, unfortunately, sends a message to students, teachers and the broader community. The message is it is OK for teachers to observe federal holidays but it is not important to honor Dr. King. The message is it is not important to include his name on the OSSU calendar. The message is not all holidays are created equal.
Intended or not, that is an example of the insidiousness of racism. Hopefully, the people at OSSU who draft and approve the yearly schedule for area schools will acknowledge and make a needed change.
Ross Connelly
Hardwick
