The Austin, Texas, school district is facing criticism after administrators decided to remove the Good Friday holiday and instead celebrate a day honoring liberal labor leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
Texas Values, an advocacy group opposing the move, sent a letter last week to the district’s superintendent and board members accusing them of “placing politics above a religious holiday.”
“It appears that the goal was to highlight a controversial and divisive figure like Dolores Huerta over acknowledging a holiday that a significant portion of Americans observe and that ties to our state and nation’s Christian heritage,” the conservative group wrote.
The group cited the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which found that 31% of state and local government employers in the country offer a paid holiday for Good Friday and 19% of private employers offer it as a paid holiday.
