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Parents and teachers urge Quincy Public Schools to recognize Lunar New Year as an official school holiday
Summary
Dozens of speakers at the Jan. 8 open forum urged the school committee to add Lunar New Year to the district calendar, citing high absenteeism among Asian students and asking administrators to prevent testing or graded assignments on that date.
At the Open Forum portion of the Jan. 8 Quincy Public Schools meeting, multiple parents, teachers and community members urged the district to recognize Lunar New Year as an official school holiday or otherwise formally excuse students who observe the holiday.
Speakers said Lunar New Year observance drives a high number of absences at several schools and urged the superintendent and school committee to treat the day as a recognized holiday rather than a series of excused absences. Many speakers described long-standing community practice and family observance and asked the district to prevent major tests or graded assignments on the date to avoid penalizing students who are absent for cultural observance.
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