My name is Julie. I am a 9th grade student at a public high school in New York City.

I am writing to express my concern about the Religious Inequality that Orthodox students deal with in schools every year.  This issue is important to me because as a Orthodox student I am so tired of every single year having to deal with having school on Orthodox Christmas knowing 11 days before that Catholic students get Catholic Christmas, Christmas Eve, and the whole rest of the week off.  Every year Orthodox students country wide have to pick between observing our crucial church celebration on Christmas Eve and celebrating our Christmas on Christmas Day or our school attendance. If we don't attend school we spend our whole holiday worrying about the assignments we are missing. 

In researching why Orthodox Christmas and Christmas Eve is not a school holiday, I have learned that schools require a minimum amount of days and they view Orthodox student's as a minority so it’s not valued enough to be a school holiday. 

This upsets me because it makes me feel like my religion which is so important to me isn’t valued at all by officials and the DOE. 

I ask that you and your office make Orthodox Christmas and Christmas Eve a school holiday. On behalf of Orthodox students around America, I speak for us all when I say we are tired of not being valued. We just want to enjoy our holiday like other religions get to. 

Sincerely,

Julie