article_snippet: (CNN)New York City public schools will now observe two Muslim holidays, officials announced Wednesday, making the district -- the nation's biggest -- one of the few to put Islamic holy days on Islamic calendar.
article_snippet: Under the change announced by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and city Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina, there will be no class for Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, starting next September 24.
article_snippet: Another Muslim holiday, Eid al-Fitr -- a festival marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan -- will become a holiday for those in summer school starting in 2016.
article_snippet: The decision affects some 1 million students in New York City.
article_snippet: While The decision's not known exactly how many of some 1 million students in New York City are Muslim, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said that almost 1 million of the more than 8 million people in New York City's five boroughs practice Islam and a 2009 Columbia University study found that roughly 10% of New York City public school students are Muslim.
article_snippet: Muslim students and Muslim families who observe Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha shouldn't have to choose between an instructional day and Muslim students and their families who observe Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha religious obligations," said Farina.
article_snippet: New York City joins school districts in other states, including New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont, that similarly observe Muslim holidays, according to a news release from Farina's office.
article_snippet: And Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha join other religious holidays already on New York public school calendar.
article_snippet: In addition to holidays like Easter that always fall on a weekend, students already have Christian holidays such as Good Friday and Christmas off, as well as the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
highlights_snippet: Muslim families shouldn't have to weigh school vs. religious observances .
  
highlights_snippet: New York City's public schools already observe Jewish and Christian holidays .