New York Schools May Close For Six More Important Holidays

New York students could soon get six new school holidays.

The school year is a few weeks old. Students and educators are learning to cope with many changes. Including:

For all the news that the Hudson Valley is sharing, make sure to follow Hudson Valley Post on Facebook, and download the Hudson Valley Post Mobile App

New York State Schools May Add 6 More Holidays

More changes could be coming. Legislation in the Senate is calling for six more holidays.

Senate Bill S4670 relates to:

Establishing certain cultural and religious observances as school holidays in certain districts.

Robert Jackson (D, WF) 31st Senate District is sponsoring the bill that if passed would establish Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali, Lunar New Year, Tihar, Bandi Chhor Divas and Onam "as school holidays."

"The purpose of the bill is to avail students from different religious and cultural backgrounds to celebrate their traditional festivities with their family and community," the bill states.

Each holiday would be considered in districts where a sizable portion of students observe such religious or cultural days.

"New York is a multi-cultural state. It is a melting pot of big and small communities of various religious and cultural backgrounds. When holidays and festivals fall on school days, parents and teachers must choose between school absence and not celebrating their cultural or religious heritage," Jackson writes in the justification of the bill.

Keep Reading: Where It’s Cheapest To Live In All Of New York

New York is home to over a million Muslims, 227,000 practicing Hindus, 80,000 Sikhs, and about two million people who celebrate Diwali and Onam. Festivals like Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali, and Onam are major cultural touchstones for South Asian communities across the state.

This bill would give kids from these communities a chance to connect with family and friends while learning about and appreciating their own cultural and religious heritage, lawmakers say.

Gov. Hochul recently declared the Lunar New Year a public school holiday across New York State and signed legislation that makes Diwali a school holiday for New York City public schools.

Keep Reading:

5 New York School Districts Ranked in Top 10 in America