The first day of public school this fall for New Yorkers will be September 13th, Election Day will not be a holiday but a day of remote learning, and Juneteenth will be observed for the first time ever, the Department of Education announced Tuesday.
Other changes include renaming the commemoration of Columbus Day. Originally, October 11th was going to be known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but the DOE sent out another update Tuesday afternoon saying the Columbus Day holiday will actually be renamed Italian Heritage Day / Indigenous People's Day.
“Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day will celebrate the contributions and legacies of Italian Americans and recognize that Native people are the first inhabitants of the land that became our country," said DOE spokesperson Danielle Filson in a statement. "By including these holidays on our calendar we are honoring the past, present, and future contributions of Indigenous communities and Italian Americans.”
When asked for the reason for the change, a DOE spokesperson referred back to the statement. Two Democratic state Senators said Tuesday they were "incredibly disappointed" in the decision to drop Columbus's name from the holiday.
In a statement from Diane Savino, who represents parts of Staten Island and Brooklyn, and Joe Addabbo of Queens, they said the city's "insensitive decision to eliminate Columbus Day, which is a legal, Federal holiday from their calendar and substitute it with Indigenous People's (D)ay does a terrible disservice to a difficult and complex conversation. In one block-headed decision, they have harmed both communities and fanned the flames of division.")
Juneteenth will be celebrated on June 20th, 2022; Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in June 2020 that it would become a school holiday, and Governor Andrew Cuomo announced last fall that it would become a state holiday.
The DOE said the 2021-2022 school calendar reflects its contractual obligations to have 180 days of school while observing various holidays and offering staff four professional development days. The Election Day school schedule, which is subject to state approval, is for next year only, a DOE spokesperson said.
As de Blasio had previously announced, the adoption of remote learning during the pandemic also means no more snow days. School will be held remotely during severe weather conditions, the DOE said.
“Over the years, the DOE introduced additional holiday observances as part of the school calendar, and has contractual obligations which limit the number of possible school days. The pandemic has also created the ability to switch seamlessly to remote learning, and DOE central and schools have distributed hundreds of thousands of devices to ensure that learning can continue remotely during school closures,” said Sarah Casasnovas of the DOE in a statement.
Students will be able to retain their DOE-issued devices through the summer and into the next school year unless they're leaving the system, school officials said.
"We know nothing replaces in-person instruction, and we currently have more students learning in our schools than any other city or system. Our goal for the fall is to have all of our children safely return to full-time in-person learning on September 13th, and we look forward to sharing more information over the spring and summer,” Casasnovas said.
The last day of school will be June 27th, 2022—a Monday.
This story has been updated to reflect the Department of Education's decision to call Columbus Day "Italian Heritage Day / Indigenous People's Day."
