A New Jersey school board recently voted to remove holidays from the official school calendar to be more “inclusive and equitable.” Now, a petition is calling on the school board members to resign. Campus Reform reporter Ophelie Jacobson talked to students in Washington D.C. about this story to see if they agreed with the school members’ decision to remove holiday names from the calendar.
When Jacobson asked if students were ever offended by a holiday they don’t celebrate, every single student said no. Jacobson then told students about the removal of holidays on the New Jersey school calendar. They disagreed with the decision.
“There’s awareness that comes with knowing why certain holidays are what they’re for, or what they were based on,” one student said. “If you have the day off, and you don’t know what it’s for, then there’s kind of no meaning. I think they should still include them.”
Another student said, “No, just because I think it’s important for people to understand why different religions or groups celebrate those holidays.” Additionally, students told Jacobson about the importance of learning why students have a day off, rather than just skipping school.