BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

NYC removes Columbus Day from school calendar

A statue of Christopher Columbus at Columbus Circle in Manhattan on June 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

NEW YORK (WPIX) — New York City Public Schools removed Columbus Day from its calendar of days off for students in the next academic year and replaced it with “Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day,” according to a release from the Department of Education on Tuesday.

Students will not have class on Oct. 11, but instead of observing Columbus Day, it will be in observance of Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day. 

A spokesperson for the DOE told NewsNation affiliate PIX11 in an emailed statement that school administrators sought to be inclusive in observing the often polarizing federal holiday.

“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. By including these holidays on our calendar we are honoring the past, present, and future contributions of Indigenous communities and Italian Americans,” the spokesperson said.

Indigenous Peoples Day is observed instead of Columbus Day in a number of states and dozens of U.S. cities. It’s usually held on the second Monday of October, coinciding with the federal holiday.

Columbus Day commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. 

The holiday has drawn criticism from indigenous peoples and their allies as a celebration of an event that brought colonization to the Americas and spawned several atrocities.

Many Italian Americans, however, view the holiday as a celebration of their heritage.

This story comprises reporting from The Associated Press.

Northeast

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

62°F Sunny Feels like 62°
Wind
5 mph SSW
Humidity
55%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
46°F Clear to partly cloudy. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
5 mph N
Precip
9%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous