ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The New York Legislature has approved a bill intended to let schools close on the Chinese Lunar New Year or other days when religious or cultural observances will keep most of their students at home.
The measure would require boards of education to make a decision on whether to close schools on days where “a considerable proportion of the student population” is unlikely to attend and would therefore waste resources.
State Sen. Daniel Squadron, a sponsor, says schools in areas with many Asian-Americans, like Chinatown in Manhattan and Flushing in Queens, have absentee rates as high as 60 percent on the Lunar New Year.
The Manhattan Democrat notes that next year it falls on Feb. 19, when New York City public schools will already be closed for winter recess.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.