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Whether it is Duserra, Diwali, Onam, or even Ganesha Chaturthi, from now on children in New Jersey can let their hair down and enjoy the traditional Indian festivals without having to worry about attending school on those days.
New Jersey State Board of Education has recently included 19 Hindu festivals to its annual list of religious holidays, permitting student absence from School.
In a resolution adopted April 6, the board included four festivals, including Navaratri in its list of annual holidays.
“Any student absent from school because of a religious holiday may not be deprived of any award or of eligibility or opportunity to compete for any award because of such absence,” according to the NJSBE resolution.
The resolution also states that “students who miss a test or examination because of absence on a religious holiday must be given the right to take an alternate test or examination.” Also according to the resolution, “any absence because of a religious holiday must be recorded…as an excused absence.”
The festivals in the holiday list include Guru Purnima, Naga Panchami, Raksha Bandhan, Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesha Chaturthi, Onam, Navaratri, Duserra, Diwali, Goverdhan Puja, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Vasant Panchami, Maha Shivaratri, Holi, Chandramana Yugadi, Souramana Yugadi, Ramnavami and Hanuman Jayanti. Besides, Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha which are observed by the Muslims are also included in the list.
Hindu religious leaders welcomed the board’s decision to include the festivals. Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement called the list “a step in the positive direction.” He thanked the board president Mark W. Biedron for being inclusive.
In a report earlier this year, Catholic News Service said quoting Charles Haynes, director of the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute in Washington, noted that a growing number of U.S. public school districts are combining lessons in world religions with U.S. government and politics as they grapple with closing schools for religious holidays.
“The question is not should we do it. We have to do it to live with one another. How do we do it is the question,” said Haynes was quoted as saying.
It said that as the number of members of different religious groups expands across the United States, the inevitable question that is raised is that if Christians and Jewish holy days can be school holidays, why not recognize Muslim, or for that matter Hindu or Sikh, holy days?
The post N.J. School Board Declares 19 Hindu Festivals As Holidays appeared first on News India Times.
