Adoption Resolution February 16, 2011 RESOLUTION The List of Religious Holidays Permitting Pupil 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 pupil. 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, 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 2011-2012 school year:
Page 2 2011-2012 School-Year Observance July 9 July 13-16 July 15 July 15 August 6 August 7 August 9 3 5 5 August 21 August 22 September 1 September 1 September 7 September 8 September 14 September 21 September 23 September 29 September 28 - October 25 September 29 and 30 October 5 October 6 October 8 October 8 October 13-19 July Martyrdom of the Bab (Baha i) Ulambana/Oban (Buddhist) Lailat al Bara ah (Islam) Asalha Puja Day (Buddhist) August Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Lammas (Christian and Wicca) Ramadan begins (Islam) Transfiguration of the Lord (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Laylat as-qadr (Islam) Tisha B Av (Jewish) Raksha Bandhan (Hindu) Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Christian) Eid al Fitr (Islam) Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu) September Ecclesiastical Year begins (Orthodox Christian) Ganesha Chaturthi (Hindu) His Holiness Sakya Trizin s Birthday (Buddhist) Nativity of Mary (Christian) The Elevation of the Holy Cross (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Nativity of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Mabon (Wicca) Feast of Trumpets (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) Navaratri (Hindu) Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) October Hajj Day (Islam) Duserra (Hindu) Yom Kippur (Jewish) Day of Atonement (Christian, Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) Sukkot (Jewish); Feast of Tabernacles (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) Birth of B ab (Baha i) Shemini Atzeret (Jewish) Last Great Day (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) Installation of the Scriptures as Guru Granth (Sikh)
Page 3 October 21 October 26 November 1 November 1 November 2 November 6 November 10 November 12 November 15 November 21 November 24 November 26 November 26 November 27 November 28 December 8 December 8 December 21-28 December 22 December 25 December 25 December 26 January 1 January 5 Simhat Torah (Jewish) Diwali [Deepavali] (Hindu, Jain, Sikh) November All Saints Day (Christian) Samhain-Beltane (Wicca) All Souls Day (Christian) Eid al Adha (Islam) Guru Nanak Dev Sahib Birthday (Sikh) Birth of Baha u llah (Baha i) Advent/Nativity Fast begins (Eastern Orthodox Christian) The Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom (Sikh) Day of Covenant (Baha i) Al Hijra 1 st Muharram (Islam) First Sunday of Advent (Christian) Ascension of Abdu l Baha (Baha i) December 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 Gantan-sai (Shinto) Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (Sikh) Epiphany (Christian) January 7 January 13 January 14 January 15 January 20 February 2 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 The Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (Eastern Orthodox Christian) February 2 Imbolic-Candlemas (Wicca)
Page 4 February 3 February 4 February 8 February 15 February 21 February 22 February 23 February 26 through March 1 February 27 March 9 March 13 March 13 March 20 March 21 March 21 March 24 March 25 March 28 April 1 April 5-9 April 7 April 7-13 April 7-14 April 8 April 9 April 13 April 13 April 14 Maha Shivaratri (Hindu) Mawlid an Nabi (Islam) Tu B shvat (Jewish) Nirvana Day (Buddhist, Jain) Shrove Tuesday (Christian) Ash Wednesday (Christian) Chinese New Year (Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist) Intercalary Days (Baha'i) Clean Monday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) March Magha Puja Day (Hindu) Purim (Jewish) Holi (Hindu) Hola Mohalla (Sikh) L. Ron Hubbard s Birthday (Church of Scientology) Chandramana Yugadi (Hindu) Ostara (Wicca) Narouz (Zoroastrian) Naw Ruz (Baha i) First Day of Sacred Year (Philadelphia Church of God) The Annunciation/The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (Eastern Orthodox Christian; Christian) Khordad Sal (Zoroastrian) April Rami Navami (Hindu) Holy Thursday (Christian, Eastern Orthodox Christian) Hanuman Jayanti (Jain) Mahavir Jayanti (Jain) Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu) Lord s Evening Meal (Christian, Jehovah s Witness) Passover (Philadelphia Church of God) Good Friday (Christian) Theravadin New Year (Buddhist) First Day of Unleavened Bread (Church of God) Days of Unleavened Bread (Philadelphia Church of God) Pesach/Passover (Jewish) Easter (Christian) Easter Monday (Christian) Last Day of Unleavened Bread (Church of God) Holy Friday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Baisakhi (Sikh)
Page 5 April 14 April 15 April 21 April 25 April 26 April 29 April 30 May 1 May 1 May 2 May 6 May 10 May 17 May 23 May 27 May 27-28 May 28 May 29 June 16 June 20 June 26 June 28 Souramana Yugadi (Hindu) Pascha (Eastern Orthodox Christian) First Day of Ridvan (Baha i) The 11 th Panchen Lama s Birthday (Buddhist) Yom Ha Azmaut (Jewish) Ninth Day of Ridvan (Baha i) Lazarus Saturday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) May Palm Sunday (Christian/Eastern Orthodox Christian) Beltane (Wicca) Twelfth Day of Ridvan (Baha i) Buddha Day Visakha Puja (Buddhist) Lag B Omer (Jewish) Ascension of Our Lord (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Declaration of the Bab (Baha i) Pentecost (Christian, Eastern Orthodox Christian, Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) Shavuot (Jewish) Buddha s Birthday (Buddhist) Ascension of Baha u llah (Baha i) June Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (Sikh) Litha (Wicca) His Holiness the 17 th Gyalawa Karmapa s birthday (Buddhist) Lailat al Miraj (Islam) ** 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. Christopher D. Cerf, Acting Commissioner Acting Secretary, NJ State Board of Education Arcelio Aponte, President NJ State Board of Education