Albany Schools Close for Jewish High Holidays

October 6, 2003

Source: The Oregonian

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1065441420308040.xml

On October 6, 2003 The Oregonian reported that the Outdoor School, a school specializing in outdoor programming for middle schoolers, is just one of the Oregon educational programs puzzling over how to handle scheduling issues as student populations become increasingly diverse. The latest session of the five-day environmental program for sixth-graders began Sunday, creating a conflict for Jewish students. While the Outdoor School tries to work with students who wish to stay home for Jewish or Christian holidays, school coordinator Suzanne Marter insists that, without knowing the religious background of each sixth-grader, she can't avoid every conflict. "Right now, we're being affected by the Jewish holidays. In the spring, we're affected by the first- or second-most revered Christian holiday," Marter said. "We figure that if we took every religion into consideration, we probably would not be having Outdoor School."