It is the policy of Seattle School Board that no religious belief or non-belief be promoted by the School District or its employees, and none should be disparaged. We do not have a prayer policy, nor was anything kept quiet. During Ramadan, a couple of Muslim families whose children attend Dunlap contacted the school and asked for the reasonable religious accommodation of allowing their children a place to prayer during the month preceding their holiday Eide. It is my understanding that it is lawful for schools to excuse students briefly from class to enable them to fulfill their religious obligations. My further understanding is that due to safety issues it is allowable for a staff member to supervise those obligations. At Dunlap during this month, between classes, an ELL teacher supervised students for five minutes each day. This no longer happens as Ramadan is over. Yes, any family, from any religious group may request reasonable religious accommodation from any public school. I am unaware of what Aki Kurose does at their school but I assume it is a similar effort to make a religious accommodation.
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