You are reading

NYC School Calendar Sees End to Snow Days, Columbus Day Renamed and Addition of Juneteenth

(Stock Pexels)

May 5, 2021 By Ryan Songalia

New York City has unveiled the public school calendar for 2021-2022 and it includes a new holiday and a change to Columbus Day.

The Department of Education in making the announcement also said that there would be no snow days in the upcoming school year, noting that students will be switched to remote learning in days of poor weather.

The holiday of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S., has been added to the calendar. Meanwhile Columbus Day has been replaced with Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The loss of snow days, however, caught many by surprise and prompted much conversation.

The DOE said that it had to get rid of snow days to ensure that students get their required 180 days in class while observing all scheduled holidays.

“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,” the DOE said in a statement.

Maya Wiley, a candidate for mayor, tweeted “snow way!,” while promising to allow students to enjoy a bit of winter wonderland should she be elected.

“Under a Wiley administration, snow days will be snow days,” Wiley tweeted.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a former South Bronx school teacher, reminisced fondly about playing football as a kid during snow days.

“Let the kids play. Or make money shoveling snow…,” tweeted Bowman, a freshman congressman. “Let them have a mental health day. We need those more than ever after a global pandemic.”

Tiffany Cabán, a candidate running for city council from Astoria, also tweeted her dissatisfaction with the decision, saying “Let kids have snow days.”

Felicia Singh, a city council candidate from Ozone Park, teaches at a public charter school in Brooklyn. She says the switch to remote learning during snow disadvantages students with learning disabilities.

“Choices like these make it clear that we need leadership that has experienced the impacts of those decisions, and the courage to fix them with urgency,” Singh said.

The replacement of Columbus Day proved to be an even more contentious issue for some– especially Italian Americans.

Columbus, the explorer who was born in Italy, is revered by some as a symbol of Italian pride and achievement– hence the holiday. However, his legacy has come under fire in recent times, with critics pointing to his role in the mass killing of indigenous people and in the slave trade.

Robert Holden, the city councilmember in District 30, called the decision to change the name a “disgraceful insult” to Italian Americans.

“There’s room to celebrate everyone’s heritage in this city,” said Holden, who described himself as being of Italian heritage.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a long-time defender of Columbus Day, called the holiday a celebration of Italian-American heritage, and says it will still remain a state holiday.

“You don’t have to exclude Italian-Americans to celebrate Native Americans,” Cuomo said at press briefing Wednesday.

“Why do you feel the need to diminish the Italian-American contribution to recognize the indigenous peoples’ contribution? It’s not one or the other.”

Juneteenth will be observed on June 20. It was declared a state holiday last year.

The first day of school for students will be Sept. 13 while the last will be June 27.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 
Ms.Sood

However Diwali is still not recognized by NYC Schools. #inclusivitymatters #allreligionsareequal

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

A hidden gem in Sunnyside: Bistro Punta Sal blends Peruvian and Italian flavors

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

On a quiet street in Sunnyside, Bistro Punta Sal has its French doors wide open, letting the late August breeze emanate throughout the space, which is ornate with flowers, paintings and an array of tables and chairs for intimate dinners with friends or a romantic date night. The cozy restaurant, located at 45-51 46th St., is a hidden gem in the neighborhood that is just waiting to be discovered, as the sights and aromas of the restaurant invite guests in. 

Off-duty paramedic spots South Richmond Hill two-alarm house fire that injures nine firefighters, two civilians on Friday morning: FDNY

Nine firefighters were injured, two of them seriously, and two civilians sustained minor injuries during a two-alarm house fire in South Richmond Hill on Friday morning, but it could have been worse if not for the actions of an off-duty veteran EMT.

Paramedic Craig Biscuiti was driving to work when he noticed a column of thick black smoke and heavy flames coming from the first floor of a two-story home at 95-36 111th St. just before 7:10 a.m.

Astoria doctor sentenced to more than two decades in prison for rape and sexual abuse: DA

An Astoria doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court for raping unconscious acquaintances and sexually abusing hospital patients.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, of Broadway, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in satisfaction of the consolidated indictments against him. He additionally entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse. The defendant — a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital — recorded the abuse of his unconscious victims with his cell phone in both his Astoria apartment and at the hospital.