Under the Testing Your Faith Act adopted by the State of Ohio, students may have up to three excused absences each semester from their courses to observe religious holidays in accordance with their spiritual beliefs.  All LCCC instructors must provide alternative accommodations for examinations or other academic requirements as a result of one of these excused absences.  To be eligible for an excused absence and to receive alternative accommodations in their courses, students must provide their instructors with written notice of the specific dates for which they are requesting alternative accommodations no later than fourteen days after the first day of instruction for their courses.  Any alternative accommodation offered by an instructor must not have a detrimental impact on a student’s ability to complete their course requirements. Under the Testing Your Faith Act, instructors must accept without question the sincerity of a student’s religious or spiritual beliefs, and all requests shall be kept confidential.  

Below is a non-exhaustive list of religious holidays and festivals for the remainder of the 2023 calendar year.  A request for accommodations under this policy cannot be denied because a student’s religious holiday or festival does not appear on the list.

If you would like further information about this policy or if you would like to initiate a grievance because you believe your rights have been denied under the Testing Your Faith Act, please contact LCCC Student Services Navigator Colleen Miller-Director by phone at (440) 366-440-7555 (w) or 440-865-7326 (c) or by email at cmiller-director@lorainccc.edu.

Non-exhaustive List of Religious Holidays/Holy Days

(January-December 2023)

As required by House Bill 353, this list of major religious holidays and festivals is non-exhaustive and is not intended to purposefully exclude any religious holidays or festivals.

Judaism

  • Passover (April 5-13)
  • Rosh Hashanah (September 15- 17)
  • Yom Kippur (September 24-25)
  • Hanukkah (December 7-15)

Christianity

  • Ash Wednesday (February 22)
  • Good Friday (April 7)
  • Easter (April 9)
  • Christmas (December 25)

Islam

  • Ramadan (March 22-April 21)
  • Eid al-Fitr (April 21-22)
  • Eid-ul Adha (June 28-29)

Hinduism

  • Shri Ramakrishna Jayanti (February 21)
  • Diwali (November 12)

Buddhism

  • Bodhi Day (January 10)
  • Vesak (April 8)
  • Buddha Day/Visakha Puja (May 5)

Sikh

  • Vaisakhi (April 14)
  • Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib (November 27)

Baháʼí

  • Martyrdom of the Bab (July 9)
  • Birth of the Bab (October 26-27)
  • Birth of Baháúllah (October 27-28)

Shinto

  • Gantan-sai (January 1)
  • Setsubum-sai (February 3)

Other

  • Kwanzaa (December 26 – Jan 1, 2024)
  • Lunar New Year (January 22)