Bernards Township board to review request to recognize Lunar New Year as school holiday

Multiple students, parents and volunteers asked the Bernards Township Board of Education on Monday to add Lunar New Year to the district calendar, and the board agreed to send the proposal to its policy committee for discussion in February.

Michelle Yang, a long-time volunteer and district lunch aide, told trustees she was asking the board to “respectfully request the board's consideration of recognizing Lunar New Year as an official school holiday,” saying her family and many community members observe the day and that volunteers have introduced the celebration widely in schools.

Former Ridge High School senator Ethan Zheng, now a college freshman, told the board that students have raised the issue and urged trustees to weigh “equity, inclusion, cultural, religious significance, legal and policy consistency.” Claire Zhang, a Ridge freshman, suggested a practical approach: align one of the district’s existing midwinter-recess days with Lunar New Year so the district would not need to lengthen the school year.

Hai Xing Li cited recent state action and local demographics in support of the change. “In January 2024, New Jersey passed landmark legislation designating Lunar New Year” as an officially recognized observance, Li said, and told trustees the district’s Asian student population is substantial; the speaker gave a figure transcribed in the meeting as about 36.3% of enrollment (stated as 1,728 of 4,760 students).

Board members acknowledged the request but stressed calendar trade-offs. Several trustees noted that adding holidays can push the school year later into June and that the district has previously sought to end the school year near June 20 to accommodate student and staff summer commitments. Trustees also discussed existing provisions for excused absences when students observe cultural or religious holidays and the need to ensure teachers follow make-up policies so students are not disadvantaged.

Rather than immediately changing the calendar, the board’s chair asked members whether they agreed to send the proposal to the policy committee; members consented to a February committee discussion and potential follow-up to committee recommendations to the full board.

Next steps: the policy committee will review the request and report back to the full board in February; any calendar change would require additional committee work and a future board vote.