20 Accommodations You Can Request From A School or Employer During Ramadan

In honor of our 20th anniversary and the observance of the holy month of Ramadan, we have compiled a list of a variety of requests that Muslim students or employees can request from their educators or employers. We also published sample email templates for sending these requests: CAIR-WA Sample Ramadan Accommodation Letter to Schools 2023, and CAIR-WA Sample Ramadan Accommodations Letter to Employers 2023 .


Accommodation examples to request:

  1. Flexibility within the work schedule to start later, take more breaks, or finish work earlier
  2. A quiet clean space for students/employees to pray
  3. Time off for Eid-Al-Fitr
  4. Government may not interfere with the autonomy of a religious organization.
  5. Floating holidays if you are still waiting for the date announcements
  6. Adjusted or soft deadlines or workload
  7. Testing accommodations at school based on your needs
  8. Excused tardies and absences from attendance office
  9. Work from home options
  10. Additional breaks to accommodate prayer times
  11. Resources to educate non-Muslim peers and colleagues about Ramadan and basic Islamic practices
  12. A policy for promoting respectful behavior during Ramadan at school or in a workplace
  13. A cultural sensitivity training for teachers and managers
  14. Volunteer opportunities for students/employees
  15. Adding Ramadan to official school or workplace calendars
  16. Sharing this article from NPR (it has pictures!): not-even-water-and-other-things-not-to-say-to-your-muslim-friends-during-ramadan
  17. Suggesting a district/company wide email acknowledging Ramadan and Eid-Al-Fitr
  18. Suggesting to your employer to have dates and water available to break your fast if working late
  19. An opportunity to educate your peers and colleagues about the Ramadan
  20. Remember: you have the right to religious accommodations at school or in the workplace under Washington state law!

These small changes can become powerful tools of promoting inclusion, understanding, and appreciation within our communities in both academic and professional spaces. Please utilize any of these suggestions and tailor them to your specific needs based on your individual education and work circumstances. If you experience unreasonable difficulty in getting these accommodations approved, please fill out our legal intake form here.