N.J. districts weigh new holiday, Diwali, for school year
Published: Sunday, February 05, 2012, 9:00 AM
Students, parents and faculty from Rutgers Preparatory School came together to celebrate Diwali, a Hindu holiday that originated in India, in this 2010 file photo. Some school districts around New Jersey are considering closing school for the first day of the holiday.BERNARDS TOWNSHIP — Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day — and Diwali? As New Jersey school districts put their calendars together, the holiday season for several might include closing for the Hindu festival of lights.
Although Passaic schools have recognized the holiday for almost a decade, the push from parents in the state’s Asian-Indian immigration strongholds has gained momentum since South Brunswick decided in 2010 to recognize the first of Diwali’s five days.
With New Jersey’s sizable Asian-Indian population growing, interest has also come from three districts with schools in Middlesex County — Monroe, West Windsor-Plainsboro and North Brunswick. And parents in Bernards Township in Somerset County, home to