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Senate panel advances bill allowing schools to observe Diwali as optional holiday

5375926 · July 9, 2025
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Summary

AB 268, which would designate Diwali as a recognized state holiday and allow public schools the option to close or provide related instruction, advanced out of the Senate Education Committee amid support from a broad coalition and limited opposition invoking church‑state separation concerns.

The Senate Education Committee advanced Assembly Bill 268, which would recognize Diwali as a state holiday and permit public schools to close or offer optional instruction related to the festival. The bill’s authors said the measure is intended to expand cultural recognition and inclusion for Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist communities and that school closures would remain…

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