Littleton School Committee Debates Removing Religious Holidays From District Calendar

LITTLETON — January 26, 2023 — Littleton School Committee weighs removing all three religious holidays from the district calendar. At its January 26 meeting, the committee held a lengthy discussion on whether to remove Yom Kippur, Good Friday, and Diwali — the three religious holidays currently designated as days off — as part of a broader calendar review that also encompasses school start times and professional development scheduling. No vote was taken, but multiple members signaled support for an all-or-nothing removal, with member Brad Austin arguing the change is consistent with "diversity, equity, inclusion" principles. The committee also heard technology updates from all four school principals, highlighted by Middle School Principal Jason Meland's announcement of a phone- and Chromebook-free lunch period launched by his sixth-grade team — "80 percent of my behavior problems come from social media," Meland told the board. Superintendent Glenn Clinchy flagged ChatGPT as an emerging concern, saying the district is taking a proactive rather than prohibitive approach; the committee is expected to return to both the holiday and AI questions at its February meetings before the March calendar deadline.