Adoption Resolution June 4, 2014 RESOLUTION The List of Religious Holidays Permitting Student Absence from School WHEREAS, according to N.J.S.A. 18A:36-14 through 16 and N.J.A.C. 6A:32-8.3(j), regarding student absence from school because of religious holidays, the Commissioner of Education, with the approval of the State Board of Education, is charged with the responsibility of prescribing such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purpose of the law; and WHEREAS, the law provides that: 1. Any student absent from school because of a religious holiday may not be deprived of any award or of eligibility or opportunity to compete for any award because of such absence; 2. Students who miss a test or examination because of absence on a religious holiday must be given the right to take an alternate test or examination; 3. To be entitled to the privileges set forth above, the student must present a written excuse signed by a parent or person standing in place of a parent; 4. Any absence because of a religious holiday must be recorded in the school register or in any group or class attendance record as an excused absence; 5. Such absence must not be recorded on any transcript or application or employment form or on any similar form; and 6. The Commissioner, with the approval of the State Board of Education, is required to: (a) prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this act; and (b) prepare a list of religious holidays on which it shall be mandatory to excuse a student. The list, however, is to be a minimum list. Boards of education, at their discretion, may add other days to the list for the schools of their districts; and WHEREAS, although the New Jersey Department of Education makes every attempt to ensure the accuracy of the dates using the lunar, Gregorian and Julian calendars; and
WHEREAS, dates within this resolution may not be fixed before the State Board adopts the annual calendar and may require additional revision; now therefore be it RESOLVED, the State Board of Education permits the Commissioner of Education, after annual adoption by the State Board of Education, to revise the dates provided in list of religious holidays. WHEREAS, the district board of education has the right to add any bona fide religious holiday to the list for its own schools; now therefore be it, RESOLVED that the State Board of Education adopts the following list of religious holidays for the 2014-2015 school year:
*Revised on October 9, 2014 to include Lunar New Year on February 19, 2015 2014-2015 School-Year Observance July 9 July 11 July 13-15 July 24 July 29 August 1 August 1 August 5 August 6 August 10 August 15 August 18 August 29 September 1 September 7 September 8 September 14 September 21 September 25-26 September 25-October 3 October 3 October 4 October 4 October 8-15 October 16 October 17 July 2014 Martyrdom of the Bab (Baha i) Asalha Puja Day (Buddhist) Ulambana/Obon (Buddhist) Laylat as-qadr (Islam)* Eid al Fitr (Islam)* August 2014 Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Lammas (Christian and Wicca) Tisha B Av (Jewish) Transfiguration of the Lord (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Raksha Bandhan (Hindu)* Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Christian) Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu)* Ganesha Chaturthi (Hindu)* September 2014 Ecclesiastical Year begins (Orthodox Christian) His Holiness Sakya Trizin s Birthday (Buddhist) Nativity of Mary (Christian) Nativity of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Christian) The Elevation of the Holy Cross (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Mabon (Wicca) Feast of Trumpets (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) Navaratri (Hindu)* October 2014 Hajj Day (Islam)* Duserra (Hindu)* Yom Kippur (Jewish) Day of Atonement (Christian, Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) Eid al Adha (Islam)* Sukkot (Jewish); Feast of Tabernacles (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) Last Great Day (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) Simcat Torah (Jewish) October 16-17 October 20 October 23 October 25 November 1 Shemini Atzeret (Jewish) Birth of B ab (Baha i) Installation of the Scriptures as Guru Granth (Sikh) Diwali (Hindu, Jain and Sikh)* Al Hijra 1 st Muharram (Islam)* November 2014 All Saints Day (Christian) Samhain-Beltane (Wicca)
November 2 November 12 November 15 November 17 November 21 November 24 November 26 November 28 November 30 December 8 December 16-24 December 21 December 25 December 26 January 1 January 3 January 5 January 6 January 7 January 13 January 14 January 18 January 24 February 2 February 4 February 15 February 17 February 18 February 19 February 23 February 26 through March 1 March 5 March 6 March 18 All Souls Day (Christian) Birth of Baha u llah (Baha i) Advent/Nativity Fast begins (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Guru Nanak Dev Sahib Birthday (Sikh) The Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom (Sikh) Day of Covenant (Baha i) Ascension of Abdu l Baha (Baha i) December 2014 First Sunday of Advent (Christian) Bodhi Day (Buddhist) Immaculate Conception (Christian) Hanukkah (Jewish) Yule (Wicca and Christian) Christmas (Christian) The Nativity of Christ (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Zarathosht Diso (Zoroastrian) January 2015 Gantan-sai (Shinto) Mawlid an Nabi (Islam)* Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (Sikh) Feast of Epiphany (Christian [and Eastern Orthodox Christian]) Feast of Theophany (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Nativity of Christ (Armenian Orthodox) Feast of the Nativity (Orthodox Christian) Maghi (Sikh) Makar Sankranti (Hindu)* World Religion Day (Baha i) Vasant Panchami (Hindu)* February 2015 The Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Imbolic-Candlemas (Wicca and Christian) Tu B shvat (Jewish) Nirvana Day (Buddhist) Shrove Tuesday (Christian) Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)* Ash Wednesday (Christian) Chinese/Lunar New Year (Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist) Clean Monday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Intercalary Days (Baha'i) March 2015 Purim (Jewish) Hola Mohalla (Sikh) Holi (Hindu)* L. Ron Hubbard s Birthday (Church of Scientology)
March 20 March 21 March 25 March 26 March 28 March 29 April 2 April 3 April 4 April 4-10 April 4-11 April 5 April 6 April 8 April 9 April 10 April 12 April 13 April 14 April 14 April 15 April 21 April 23 April 25 April 29 May 1 May 2 May 4 May 7 May 13 May 14 May 23 May 24 May 24-25 May 29 Ostara (Wicca) Nowruz (Zoroastrian) Naw Ruz (Baha i) Chandramana Yugadi (Hindu)* The Annunciation/The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (Eastern Orthodox Christian; Christian) Khordad Sal (Zoroastrian) Rami Navami (Hindu)* Palm Sunday (Christian) April 2015 Holy Thursday (Christian) Mahavir Jayanti (Jain) Holy Friday (Christian) Lazarus Saturday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) First Day of Unleavened Bread (Church of God) Theravadin New Year (Buddhist) Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu)* Days of Unleavened Bread (Philadelphia Church of God) Pesach (Jewish) Easter (Christian) Palm Sunday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Easter Monday (Christian) Buddha s Birthday (Buddhist) Holy Thursday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Holy Friday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Last Day of Unleavened Bread (Church of God) Pascha (Easter) (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Bright Monday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Baisakhi (Sikh) Passover (Philadelphia Church of God) Souramana Yugadi (Hindu)* Lord s Evening Meal (Christian, Jehovah s Witness) First Day of Ridvan (Baha i) Yom Ha Azmaut (Jewish) The 11 th Panchen Lama s Birthday (Buddhist) Ninth Day of Ridvan (Baha i) May 2015 Beltane (Wicca) Twelfth Day of Ridvan (Baha i) Buddha Day Visakha Puja (Buddhist) Lag B Omer (Jewish) Lailat al Miraj (Islam)* Ascension of Our Lord (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Declaration of the Bab (Baha i) Pentecost (Christian) Shavuot (Jewish) Ascension of Baha u llah (Baha i)
May 31 June 1 June 8 June 16 June 18 June 21 June 30 Pentecost (Eastern Orthodox Christian) June 2015 Lailat al Bara ah (Islam)* Fast of the Holy Apostles (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (Sikh) Ramadan (Islam)* Litha (Wicca) Synaxis of the 12 Apostles (Eastern Orthodox Christian) *Approximate date based on lunar calendar. [** Disclaimer: New Jersey Department of Education has made every attempt to ensure the accuracy of the dates. The information has been verified through the use of various sources and some dates may vary due to the lunar, Gregorian and Julian calendars.] David C. Hespe, Acting Comissioner Acting Secretary, NJ State Board of Education Arcelio Aponte, President NJ State Board of Education