The City Council voted Thursday on a resolution to adopt Lunar New Year as an official annual school holiday in New York City.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio had previously designated Lunar New Year a public school holiday in 2015. But this year, the New York City Department of Education did not designate Lunar New Year, which fell on Sunday, Jan. 22, this year, as a school holiday. Not even a Monday observance was recognized.
“Lunar New Year is one of the most important annual celebrations for our Asian communities,” Councilmember Chris Marte said. “Unfortunately, while Lunar New Year is recognized as a city holiday, the DOE has not allowed students to have a day off when the first day of the new year falls on a weekend. This caused a lot of confusion for students, and kept them from fully celebrating with their families.”
