By Madina Toure
After the decision to place two Muslim holidays on the school calendar renewed the push for a Lunar New Year holiday, Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced Lunar New Year would become an official school holiday starting next February.
Speaking before elected officials, community and business leaders and advocates in the Asian community in the atrium of PS 20 at 142-30 Barclay Ave. Tuesday morning, de Blasio said he is “very comfortable” with the decision and that the issue was implementation. “The problem was always how to do it right,” he said.
Some contended the mayor wanted to beat the state Legislature to the punch, but de Blasio said that was not the case. “They were preparing to send a strong message in support,” he explained. “We were never in doubt of getting them to go along.”
De Blasio said the city has time to adjust the school calendar, given that the holiday will go into effect in February 2016.
Christine Colligan, co-president of the Korean American Parents Association of New York, praised the decision.
“I’m very happy and I really welcome the wonderful gesture finally, our voice is heard,” Colligan said.
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) said that while growing up in Queens, she felt her ethnicity was ignored when it came to school holidays.
“It’s been a long road,” she said. “But we finally made it. At long last a school holiday for Lunar New Year will be a reality in New York City and I cannot be more excited.”
In March, de Blasio announced official school holidays for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, two Muslim holidays.
De Blasio said he believed the Eid holidays and Lunar New Year needed to be recognized, but he would not consider other holidays in the foreseeable future.
In December, a law sponsored by state Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) and state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing) was passed requiring school boards to consider closing schools on days with large student absenteeism due to religious or cultural observances such as Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year and Diwali.
Meng, City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) and Kim said during the news conference that they tried to get the school holiday on the calendar under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration.
“Many thanks to Mayor de Blasio for making good on his promise to our community and to the countless community advocates and government officials for their steadfast support of this effort,” Koo said.
Kim said the move reiterates the importance of Asian culture and heritage. “It’s about the city of New York telling hundreds of thousands of Asian Americans that their culture and heritage is part of the American fabric,” he said.
Stavisky, also at the news conference, said the decision is in sync with the city’s legacy of cultural understanding. “On this historic day, we can finally say that Asian-American children can finally celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year without worrying about the impact on their education,” Stavisky said.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
