The New York State Legislature passed a bill declaring the city’s schools a holiday on Diwali. Both the Senate and the Assembly voted on the bill before ending their sessions on Saturday morning, and it is now sent for the expected signature of Governor Kathy Hochul to become law.
Introducing the bill, Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar said, “It is high time to honour the vibrant cultural heritage of the South Asian, Indo-Caribbean, Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist communities by making Diwali a school holiday.” An estimated 200,000 students from these communities will be able to celebrate the Festival of Lights free from school in their way.
As the first Hindu-American and South Asian-American woman elected to state office in New York, Jenifer said, I take special pride in advocating for new American communities, including those celebrating Diwali. The earlier two attempts to pass the law in 2021 and 2022 were unsuccessful.
The bill passed a last-minute hurdle after its sponsors, Jenifer Prince and state senator Joseph Addabbo, proposed replacing Diwali with the Brooklyn-Queens Day holiday and leaving it up to the city’s discretion. Diwali may replace Anniversary Day, an obscure holiday to maintain the orbit of the required 180 days each year.
In February, the New York City Council passed a resolution proposed by Councilwoman Linda Lee to make Diwali a school holiday, but it required state-level approval. Unlike his predecessors, New York Mayor Eric Adams has supported the legislation, unlike schools Chancellor David Banks.
