November 18, 2012
BERNARDS — Towns with a high percentage of Indian-American residents are being urged to observe the Diwali holiday by closing school on the first day of the five-day festival, under a legislative measure unveiled Friday.
November 18, 2012
BERNARDS — Towns with a high percentage of Indian-American residents are being urged to observe the Diwali holiday by closing school on the first day of the five-day festival, under a legislative measure unveiled Friday.
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
Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula (D-Somerset), the only South Asian lawmaker on the 120-member state Legislature, said in a release that Diwali is the most popular Indian festival celebrated by the majority of the state's Indian-American population, including Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs.
In 2010, there were 279,275 Asian-Americans living in the Garden State, according to the U.S. Census.
New Jersey towns with the highest population of Asian-Americans include Edison, with 26,826; Jersey City, with 25,370; Woodbridge, with 15,453; and South Brunswick, with 10,459, according to the census.
In Somerset County, Franklin and Bridgewater townships have the highest population of Asian-Americans, with each having 8,550 and 3,456, respectively.
"Closing schools with high Indian-American populations on the first day of Diwali, would honor an important tradition of a growing segment of our state's population, and would provide all Indian-American children with the opportunity to celebrate this wonderful festival with their family and friends," Chivukula said.
This year, Diwali will be celebrated through Nov. 17.
In Bernards Township, however, the growing number of Indian-American children in schools has been a growing phenomenon for five years, according to a Dec. 30, 2011 report by William C. Draper, Bernards Township demographer.
"By far the largest growth has been among students of Asian descent," the report said.
The numerical increase of Asian students was 328, and the percentage increase was 40.7.
While English is the primary language spoken in 89.7 percent of public school student homes, 43 languages are principle in the remaining homes, the report said.
There are 11 Indian languages spoken as the principle language in 2.6 percent of public school student homes, according to the report.
Parents in Bernards submitted a petition in December encouraging the local school board to observe Diwali as a school holiday, according to The Star-Ledger.
"It would allow for time to celebrate as the holiday is meant to be celebrated: by going to the temple, calling relatives in India or simply celebrating with immediate family and friends throughout the day," Saniya Waghray, a graduate of the township’s Ridge High School, previously told The Star-Ledger.
According to Susan McGowan, board of education president, the board policy committee is currently reviewing the district calendar for several issues that have been identified.
"Many issues impact the calendar, including the school start dates, the number of week-long vacations and breaks negotiated into the teacher contracts," she said.
"We also need to be cognizant of the impact of staffing and absentee rates for days that we choose to have school where many other local schools have off. Additionally, we do our best to be respectful of national holidays and religious observances," she said.
Under current state law, Diwali is included in the list of religious holidays that students are permitted to be absent from school.
The statute ensures that a student's absence on a religious holiday will be recorded as an excused absence, and that the student cannot be deprived of any opportunity for any award or of the right to take an alternative test of examination, according to a release.
McGowan said in Bernards, the policy committee will bring a recommendation to the board for the calendar in the coming months.
