Memorial Day: Just Another Day Of Instruction?

Officials in one Louisiana school district have decided that it should be business as usual this Memorial Day:

"Students, faculty and staff in the Lafayette Parish School System won’t have the day off for Memorial Day, as school will be in session tomorrow.

According to James Easton, Superintendent of Schools for the Lafayette Parish School System, class will continue on Monday, which is Memorial Day, which celebrates veterans who served in America’s armed forces.

Easton said as far as he knows, school in the parish has always been in session on Memorial Day.

“We have traditionally had instruction on Memorial Day,” Easton said. “It’s just another day apart of our instruction.”

He continued, saying that the calendar for the school year was completed a year in advance, and having students in class on the nation-wide holiday made sense — primarily since school ends this Wednesday.

While we understand Superintendent Easton's point (even if we don't agree with it) about Wednesday being the last day of school, we find Easton's attitude to be particularly irritating.

Memorial Day is traditionally the day on which we honor the sacrifices of America's war veterans.

And even though if for some it has come to mean little more than another 3-day weekend, for many other Americans the current situation in Iraq has come to serve as a poignant reminder of the true reasoning behind this very special day. --------------------------------------See our latest entries.