WAUKEE, Iowa — The Muslim observance of Ramadan has begun, and South Middle School in Waukee is finding helpful ways to aid their practicing students.
Ramadan is a sacred fasting month in which Muslims abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset each day.
Some of the accommodations the school is offering include alternative lunchtime locations — so fasting students aren't required to sit in the cafeteria — as well as alternative P.E. activities to avoid over-exerting those who are fasting.
They're also providing rooms to allow students to pray during designated times in the day.
The school says their accommodations are all about safety.
"The number one thing is being safe here at school, and part of being safe. And part of feeling that you belong in a school environment is that the the ability to be yourself and to showcase the traditions and beliefs that you have," principal Joe Spiess told Local 5.
Spiess said some parents helped give input about what would best help their students, creating a middle ground between religious observation and classroom education.
"We want to make sure that we're honoring the religious customs and traditions and everything, but also making sure that kids are in class as much as possible and everything," he said.
Faculty also encourage students to set up meetings or check in with counselors and administrators.
These meetings would allow students to share ideas or provide input on ways the school can improve their support for members of the student body.