by Roark
Ridgewood NJ, Chinese Americans should obviously be free to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and take an excused school absence, as should any other American who wishes to celebrate this day and originates from a nation that recognizes it. And when learning about other cultures, American schools should teach American children a bit about the holiday and its significance, as they should about many different nations’ and religions’ traditions, holidays, and festivals, and the importance of respecting people from different cultures. We could all benefit from that. However, the Lunar New Year is not an American holiday, nor should we pretend that it is.
Nevertheless, the Ridgewood Public Schools were closed again this year for this Chinese holiday. Not all the districts in our area were closed. Wyckoff and Waldwick schools were open. I’ve spoken to a few children who go to the Ridgewood schools, one in high school and two in elementary school. None has learned anything in school about the holiday. The youngest, a kindergartener, doesn’t know why the schools are closed. He said he was off for “Champion Junior Day.” The older elementary school child, a fifth grader, knows the schools were closed for the “Chinese Lunar New Year,” but she has no idea what that means. The high school student I spoke with also learned nothing about the holiday in school.
Our Board of Education should stop closing schools for this holiday and other non-American holidays, such as Diwali, the Eid, and the Jewish high holidays, which I observe, allow students excused absences to observe their holiday, commit to teaching our children, and give us back some if not all of the multiple days off they took from our February winter break.
what’s your thoughts, comment below:
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Totally agree. Paramus schools were also closed for the lunar new year. Ridiculous. These schools are closing for everything.
Interesting. So, what, by your standards, qualifies as an “American” holiday? Christmas? Not only are you “othering” a large swath of the population by implying that those who celebrate are not American but you are also forcing parents to make a choice between culture and school. How about if you want to take the week in February then just do it? O
Totally agree. I’m not going to say the letter is hateful but it’s definitely ignorant.
Christmas happened in Bethlehem. Not American.
Bethlehem is in Pennsylvania which is in america so stop misinformation 🙂
Also Bethlehem in the West Bank has just been renamed Trump Town so basically it’s America’s now.
Home school your children.
Yeah, reduce my property taxes so I don’t have to pay for your kid’s education.
It might just be easier to list days where the kids actually have school.
I couldn’t agree more…the district keeps adding holidays…what is next?
What happened to common sense?
If your culture / religion is lunar new year, take the day off and celebrate the day with its traditions and customs. You don’t have to close the entire school.
Whatever happened to the concept of the “excused absence?”
My Mom was Catholic and my father was Jewish- our family celebrated major holidays for both religions. I never had a problem catching up on homework after a holiday.
I think it’s more of a problem adding extra school days later in June, when it’s hot. I can’t believe how late the schools close in June, versus when I was a kid.
Any group can petition the Board of Education for a calendar issue.
Often, the number of students in an ‘ethnic’ / religious group in the school population influences the decision.
Demographics have changed in the last 50 years.
Ridgewood has a population of 702 Chinese people in 2014.
http://www.usa.com/ridgewood-nj-population-and-races.htm#google_vignette
In 2020 there were 734 Chinese members of or community. Not a huge demographic change given that they represent only 2.8% of our 26,134 population.
In other words: 97.2% do not celebrate Lunar Year, but have to deal with school closure!
The holiday is not solely Chinese and is also celebrated by other Asian nationalities.
It is indeed a East-Asian, lunisolar, New Year, not just Chinese.
Never let the facts get in the way of an ill-informed complainant!
Im curious how you also feel about Juneteeth? Im curious because you sound like a racist.
Juneteeth and raibow month warrant a day off every week. Very imprtant part of the last 4 years history. lol
what you Liberals think is racist these days…lol…that’s exactly why Trump won this election! You don’t get it and you never will.
Close for every “holiday” then , where do you draw the line. I’m sure all the overpaid administration is glad to have another day off
Just remember that the Village ordinance prohibiting construction, landscaping, and other related noise applies on every federal holiday (Juneteenth counts, Lunar New Year doesn’t).