PUSD Parent Upset Over School Events on Jewish Holidays

A Poway Unified School District parent asked the board for more than an apology from the district last week in regards to discriminating against Jewish holidays.

Aaron Barish, who has a son at Mt. Carmel High, told the board he was upset with the disregard to certain Jewish customs, noting schools activities that conflicted with certain religious holidays.

"At the beginning of school year, there was an email stating a mandatory meeting for all athletes. I got the email the day of the event... it was Rosh Hashanah" Barish said.  "I asked why they were planning this on the religious calendar. All I get is an apology: ‘we’ll try to do better.’”

Barish also mentioned the Associated Student Body-organized Easter Egg hunt, saying his son, who's "proud of his Jewish heritage," was very upset about it.

"Bringing a religious thing into the school for those who don’t celebrate Easter, it has no account," Barish said. "Everyone tells me we’ll try to do better. No one looks at these calendars.

The parent also mentioned a cookie-dough fundraiser on Yom Kippur, when his son's peers were pressuring him to sell the item for a class prize. 

Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day on the Jewish calendar and is spent in fast and prayer.

“We need to be responsible and respectable of [students'] beliefs or their non-beliefs," Barish said. "That’s why I’m here… because no one else is doing anything”

Collins apologized again and said the district works with a rabbi and other religious groups to help avoid as much confliction as possible.

"We cannot avoid every holiday from every religious holidays. When mistakes are made, we do apologize. But it does happen and we do try to do better," he said.