Schools should help kids during Ramadan fast: Column

I fast once a year and it’s not easy. Last week, half my students started a daily fast that lasts for a month.

The Muslim holiday of Ramadan began at sundown on June 5. That means those who believe in Islam will be attending schools in the heat of the summer, abstaining from all food and all beverages from dawn to sundown. I am not suggesting that we give a full month off. But some modifications are needed to assist these students during this challenging time.

There are approximately 3.3 million Muslims in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center. Among them are roughly 100,000 public school students in New York City, about 10% of the school population. How can we make it easier for those here and elsewhere who partake in this Ramadan ritual?

I have been teaching English as a Second Language to middle-school immigrant students for almost 15 years. And each year I watch as many of those who observe this holiday suffer during school. While in their own countries they would have this time off, here they come to class every day during one of the hottest months of the year, hungry and thirsty. This is their choice, their way of paying homage to their beliefs. But there is more we can do to help.

One thing schools can do to accommodate these students is offer an alternative during lunchtime. The majority of children who are fasting are forced to go to the lunchroom even though they cannot eat and are surrounded by the temptations of food. Perhaps a designated room such as the library or auditorium can be blocked off during Ramadan in order to make this time easier for the kids. At an elementary school In Dearborn, Mich., for example, children can go outside.

All schools should provide a place where children can be away from food at mid-day. The students experience fatigue and low energy and would benefit from a place to relax and recharge for their full schedules.

In addition, many important exams are given during Ramadan, such as New York's statewide Regents exams. Muslim children should be offered an option to take them at an earlier date or complete them online after sunset. The tests could also be moved to the morning, when children have recently eaten a predawn meal and are less hungry — an accommodation sometimes made with major exams in British schools. It is unfair that children who have worked diligently all year must adhere to the same rigorous schedule of examinations when they are exhausted and unable to concentrate on the subject matter.

Some might argue that due to the separation of church and state, there should be absolutely no religion in school. I am not disagreeing with that point, or asking for a full month reprieve. I am however, asking for a little compassion, which after all is what this holiday is based on.

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Currently our schools are closed each year during Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar. It is a day of atonement on which people fast a full day, from sundown to sundown. One would never think of giving examinations at this time, but yet we continue to create academic calendars without taking the month-long Ramadan holiday into consideration.

Perhaps it is because many of these children are immigrants and are reluctant to speak up. In this political climate do you blame them? Therefore I would like to grab the megaphone and request that their voices be heard. New York City, and all other places that pride themselves on diversity and inclusion, should do more to incorporate and accommodate all cultures. We’ve done it before and we can do it again. Salam Alaikum.

Elana Rabinowitz teaches English as a Second Language in New York City.

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