Ramadan Resources
Fasting/Eid religious Accommodations & SELF-Advocacy tools
Student/Parent: Coalition. Ramadan/Eid K-12 Student Letters
Employee: Coalition. Eid Template Letter to Request Off Work
Believers Bail Out: https://believersbailout.org/
Policies that Protect Your Religious Rights At School & Work
Muslim Civic Coalition has sponsored bills passed in Illinois that protect the rights of American Muslims during the month of Ramadan and outside the month of Ramadan. Please see below for state and federal protections that help Muslims to practice their faith.
HB4011 amended the Compulsory Attendance of Pupils Article of the School Code to allow students to miss school for religious holidays. It also removed the requirement for school boards to create rules for religious holiday absences.
Public Act 84-212 prohibits public schools and higher education institutions from discriminating against students for religious holidays.The law ensures that students are not penalized for observing religious holidays. It also requires that schools and colleges reasonably accommodate the religious observations of their students.
University Religious Observances Act allows students to miss classes or exams due to religious beliefs. Students must notify their instructors in advance of any absences.
Employers should also accommodate employees who want to observe religious holidays. Employees should be able to use paid time off to observe religious holidays.
Illinois has a Religious Freedom Restoration Act that protects the free exercise of religion.
WHAT IS REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION?
A reasonable accommodation eliminates the employee’s conflict between religious practices and work requirements, and that does cause undue hardship for the employer. This means that the employer cannot unequivocally refuse to make a religious accommodation. Still, the employer must engage in a good-faith interactive process to resolve the conflict between your religious needs and the job’s requirements.
WHAT IF MY REQUEST GETS DENIED?
Federal and state laws generally protect a Muslim’s right to practice religion at work and at school. However, this right is not absolute and depends on several factors. Although your school/employer is generally required to provide reasonable accommodations, you may not receive the exact accommodation you request.
They may even deny the request altogether. If either of these things happens, legal help may be needed. See our resource page to request legal help from partner organizations.
They can provide additional support to take full advantage of this holy month, insha’Allah.
