Georgia law requires school systems to allow employees to take up to three days off for religious holiday leave using their accumulated sick or personal time off.
However, from how the Gwinnett County Personnel Handbook is written, those employees must make up that time off.
Dr. Tarece Johnson-Morgan is Jewish and serves as the Gwinnett County Board of Education chairperson. Dr. Johnson-Morgan says she’s been fighting this policy for three years.
On Friday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Dr. Johnson-Morgan talked with show host Rose Scott about efforts to create a more inclusive school calendar that’s fair for all district employees.
“Closer Look” received the following statement from Gwinnett County Public Schools:
“Creating Gwinnett County Public Schools’ (GCPS) school calendar is a complex task centered around scheduling 180 days of instruction while also considering numerous parameters and community expectations, such as having a full week off for Thanksgiving, ending the first semester by winter break and finishing the school year by Memorial Day. It is not based on religious holidays. Winter Break is scheduled based on the end of the first semester, and Spring Break is the first week of April, which does not always line up with Easter.
With that said, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) is committed to promoting a welcoming climate where all religious, ethnic, and cultural traditions are valued and accepted in our community. In accordance with that commitment, under the district’s Employee Leave policy:
- Leave for religious holidays may be granted to employees in Board-approved positions. Leave for religious holidays may not exceed three days per fiscal year. The leave should be made up by the employee at a time mutually agreed upon by the employee and the principal or program manager.
This year, in accordance with our continuing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, GCPS produced four calendar options for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school terms. Two of the four options included days off for Eid al-Fitr, Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Diwali, and for the first time, GCPS opened calendar voting to all students, parents, and staff. When the votes were tallied, the results showed the overwhelming majority of respondents selected the calendar that is most similar to our current school calendar. We understand that the survey results may be disappointing to some, especially those who voted for a different calendar, but GCPS remains committed to continued engagement with our diverse community to ensure the district remains culturally competent and respectful of the diversity that makes GCPS so strong.”
