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Students and families press Board to recognize Diwali, Eid and Lunar New Year; board approves 2026–27 calendar with conference date change
Summary
Multiple students, parents and community advocates urged the Greenwich Board of Education to recognize Diwali, Eid and Lunar New Year as school observances or holidays; the board approved the 2026–27 calendar and agreed to move a parent‑teacher conference date after public comment and discussion of future calendar policy work.
Several students and parents asked the Greenwich Board of Education to add religious holidays such as Diwali and Eid to the official school calendar, saying recognition would make students from South Asian and Muslim families feel included and avoid forcing families to choose between religious celebration and school obligations.
Two Greenwich High School sophomores, Sadhvi Ramanan and Zahra Dada, told the board that "many members of Greenwich remain unrecognized" and asked specifically for Diwali and Eid to be marked as days off or, at minimum, for teachers not to assign homework on those days. Sadhvi said, "every student deserves to feel connected, welcomed, and heard," and described how cultural festivals that fall between August and November can force students to choose between practices and schoolwork.
Multiple other speakers supported inclusion. Ambika Jha, president of the South Asian Heritage Club at GHS, asked that "Diwali, Holi, and Lunar New Year be clearly marked on our official school calendar to show this appreciation for our South Asian and East Asian community." Amy Muth, a parent, referenced a new Connecticut law recognizing Diwali and said several other Connecticut districts have closed schools in observance. Rajiv Puha said he helped draft the state bill and referred to the legislation (SB1519) and Public Act 25‑95 in his remarks.
After public comment, the board discussed the draft 2026–27 calendar. Superintendent Doctor Jones said the calendar draft had been revised after district surveys (about 1,000 responses) showing families and staff preferences on spring break timing and conference schedules. Jones said the calendar would move the evening parent‑teacher conference from spring back to the fall based on community feedback and highlighted that the draft already lists commonly observed religious holidays so teachers and families can plan.
Board members asked for a fuller policy discussion about adding additional religious observances to the calendar in future years. One member suggested policy committee review to consider long‑term implications, including instructional time, state requirements, contract provisions and how additional days off would shift the end of the school year. Several speakers said if a full day off is not feasible, the district should at least disallow teachers assigning optional homework on major religious days.
The board approved the 2026–27 school calendar as revised, including the change to the conference date; the vote was 6–0. Board members said they will bring a longer calendar and policy discussion to committees in coming months to consider how to address holiday recognition going forward.
