College students look forward to days off, but for some students, these days off don't align with their religious beliefs. If you're not a Christian student, you might find it difficult to observe your religion's holidays on campus. Should colleges and universities start offering more days off for minority religions? And is it a Title IV violation if they don't?

If you're in trouble over a violation concerning religious discrimination, you should contact a competent Education Law Team, like the Lento Law Firm. You can call us at 888-535-3686 or fill out our form, and we'll get back to you.

Colleges and Universities Debate Days Off for Religious Holidays

In the U.S., most institutions of higher education structure their academic calendars based on Western and Christian holidays. Winter break between semesters is at Christmas, spring break is around Easter, and classes usually aren't held on Sundays. Some universities also give days off for the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur—but many don't for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. As student and staff populations diversify on college campuses, institutions are facing pressure to give days off for other religious holidays.

Most universities extend religious accommodations to students. They have to if they want to comply with Title IV of the Civil Rights Act. Often, these accommodations amount to allowing students to miss class on religious holidays without penalties. Some university chaplains and officials believe this policy should be the standard and that no religion should get special treatment with days off. Colleges have to meet minimum contact hours (hours spent in class) to get funding. Closing for a religious holiday means making up that class time later, which isn't always easy to do. Changing academic calendars isn't easy, either. They're usually created three to five years in advance and need approval from the top to be changed.

On the other side of this argument are students. Some of them say that having accommodations for a religious holiday is nice, but they still have to make up missed assignments or fear falling behind in class. Officially, the students aren't penalized for missing class. Practically, their workload gets a little heavier.

University faculty and staff must be careful about how they handle religious accommodations. If it's not done properly, they could be accused of a Title IV violation.

What to Do If You're Accused of a Title IV Violation

When university officials or professors are accused of discriminating against students because of their religion, it's a very serious matter. If you are a professor who is seen as not allowing students to make up work they missed for a religious observance or an athletic coach who doesn't play an athlete in your upcoming game because they missed practice for a religious holiday, it could land you in Title IV trouble.

If you're accused of violating a student's or another staff member's Title IV rights, you shouldn't wait and let your university deal with it. You should contact an Education lawyer as soon as possible. Our Education Law Team at the Lento Law Firm helps students, faculty, and staff who have been accused of Title IV violations and we're ready to discuss your case with you. Call us at 888-535-3686 or fill out our online contact form, and a member of our team will get back to you.