Hey, kids of New York City! You get another day off. This week, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city's public schools will officially recognize the Lunar New Year as a holiday, starting next year.
Lunar New Year Added to New York Public School Calendar
The mayor made good on a promise made during his 2013 mayoral campaign, adding the Lunar New Year as a holiday on the official public school calendar. The move came after de Blasio in March declared school holidays on the most-observed holidays in Islam, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
The mayor's office first made the announcement on Twitter, saying it "was working toward a more inclusive city." The tweet also appeared in traditional Chinese characters and in Korean.
Working toward a more inclusive city: Tomorrow, @nycgov will designate Lunar New Year an official @nycschools holiday.
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) June 22, 2015邁向一個更多元化城市：明天 @nycgov 將農曆新年定為一個正式的 @nycschools 假日
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) June 22, 2015매일 모두가 참여할수 있는 도시를 향해 노력합니다: @nycgov 는 내일 아시안 설날을 @nycschools 학교 쉬는 날로 지정합니다!
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) June 22, 2015In the coming 2015-16 school year, schools will close on February 8 for the Lunar New Year.
One in six students in New York City's public school system is Asian American. New York will become only the second major urban school district in the nation, after San Francisco, to officially observe the Lunar New Year.
More here: New York Mayor Designates Lunar New Year A Public School Holiday