A Connecticut school district is facing backlash after deciding to strip Veterans Day and Columbus Days from its official holiday calendar in a controversial vote by the school board last week.
Students in Stamford public schools will no longer get the day off on both holidays for the next two school years after the board voted 5-3 to expel them Tuesday night, the Stamford Advocate reported.
Board member Joshua Esses made a motion to remove the holiday from the school calendar at Tuesday’s meeting, arguing that the school year is cut too far into the summer — ending in mid-June.
“We should make it shorter because it’s better educationally for our students,” Esses said of the school year — which is required by state law to have at least 180 instructional days for students, according to local newspapers.
He also proposed cutting the religious holiday of Eid al-Fitr and the second day of Rosh Hashanah from the list of official holidays with the same justification — but the motion did not gain support, the outlet reported.
Essays states that Veterans Day and Columbus Day will instead be recognized and celebrated with lesson plans about the meaning of each on that day, state needs.
Still, the board’s decision — which was discussed at another meeting earlier this month when brought up by other members — drew ire from veterans and Italian-Americans.
Veteran Alfred Fusco, a founding member of the Stamford chapter of the Italian-American service organization UNICO, told ABC7 that the school district’s announcement was twofold.
Alfred Fusco, a veteran and founding member of the Stamford chapter of Italian-American service organization UNICO, told the outlet the move was a “gut punch” to him. abc7ny The Stamford, Connecticut school board sparked a “calendar controversy” after voting to remove the Veterans Day and Columbus Day holidays. cityofstamford
“It was a gut punch. It was very bad. It has no bias,” Fusco told the station.
The school district defended its decision when reached by The Post, noting that other districts in the state have kept schools open on those two holidays.
“Stamford Public Schools already hosts many events in recognition of our local veterans, and we hope to continue that tradition on Veterans Day in 2024 and 2025,” a Stamford Public Schools spokesperson said in a statement.
“Additionally, our Department of Teaching and Learning will work to develop Columbus Day programming that will be delivered to students in recognition of the federal holiday.”
Much of the debate centers on the specific role of Columbus Day, which some Americans have rejected in recent years in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day due to the sordid history surrounding the treatment of indigenous peoples by Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.
One board member cited the length of the 181-day school year that will run through mid-June, arguing that the schedule is too long. abc7ny Versha Munshi-South said she observed a class lesson titled “Columbus: Hero or Villian?” at Dolan Middle School that made him rethink the vacation. Universal Image Group via Getty Images
Another board member Versha Munshi-South said she observed a class lesson titled “Columbus: Hero or Villian?” at Dolan Middle School that made him rethink the vacation.
“Students used primary sources to investigate the true history of Columbus and I can tell you that based on primary source research, no, they did not conclude that Columbus was a hero,” Munshi-South said, according to the Advocate.
“I don’t think it makes sense to teach students one thing in class and then have Columbus Day off. It’s a mixed message for students,” he said.
Another school board member, however, said that he sees Columbus as a hero and thinks polarization over the issue should not inform their decision.
“There’s a lot of polarization with the curriculum, so to paint Columbus as a villain is because of polarization and I think we can’t do that openly,” said Becky Hamman, the outlet reported.
“On Tuesday, January 23, the Stamford BOE approved the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Stamford Public Schools calendar following a motion to keep schools open on Columbus Day and Veterans Day,” a Stamford Public Schools spokesperson said in a statement.
“Several neighboring districts have kept schools open on Columbus Day and/or Veterans Day, and both Columbus Day and Veterans Day will be recognized on the Stamford Public Schools calendar with other religious holidays and celebrations that occur when school is in session.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
