Discussion Resolution March 2, 2016 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 2016-2017 school year: 2016-17 School-Year Observance July 2016 July 2 Laylat as-qadr (Islam)* July 7-9 Eid al Fitr (Islam)* July 9 Martyrdom of the Bab (Baha i) July 19 Asalha Puja Day (Buddhist) Guru Purnima (Hindu)* August 16 Ulambana/Obon (Buddhist) August 2016 August 1 Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus (Eastern Orthodox Lammas (Christian and Wicca) August 6 Transfiguration of the Lord (Eastern Orthodox August 7 Naga Panchami (Hindu)* August 14 Tish a B Av (Jewish) August 18 Raksha Bandhan (Hindu)* August 25 Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu)* September 2016 September 1 Ecclesiastical Year begins (Eastern Orthodox September 5 Ganesha Chaturthi (Hindu)* September 7 His Holiness Sakya Trizin s Birthday (Buddhist) September 8 Nativity of Mary ( Nativity of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox September 10 Hajj Day (Islam)* September 11-14 Eid al Adha (Islam)* September 14 Onam (Hindu)*; The Elevation of the Holy Cross (Eastern Orthodox October 2016 October 1-10 Navaratri (Hindu)* October 3 Feast of Trumpets (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) October 3-4 Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) October 11 Duserra (Hindu)* October 12 Yom Kippur (Jewish)
October 17-23 October 20 October 24 October 25 October 30 October 31 November 1 November 2 November 12 November 14 November 15 November 21 November 24 November 26 November 27 November 28 December 8 December 14 December 21 December 25 December 25-January 1 December 26 January 1 January 1 through 8 January 5 January 6 January 7 January 13 January 14 January 15 January 28 February 1 February 2 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) Installation of the Scriptures as Guru Granth (Sikh) Last Great Day (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God); Shemini Atzeret (Jewish) Simcat Torah (Jewish) Diwali (Hindu, Jain and Sikh)* Goverdhan Puja (Hindu)* November 2016 All Saints Day ( Samhain-Beltane (Wicca) All Souls Day ( Birth of Baha u llah (Baha i) Guru Nanak Dev Sahib Birthday (Sikh) Nativity Fast begins (Eastern Orthodox The Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple (Eastern Orthodox Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom (Sikh) Day of Covenant (Baha i) First Sunday of Advent ( Ascension of Abdu l Baha (Baha i) December 2016 Bodhi Day (Buddhist) Immaculate Conception ( Mawlid an Nabi (Islam)* Yule (Wicca and Christmas ( The Nativity of Christ (Eastern Orthodox Hanukkah (Jewish) Zarathosht Diso (Zoroastrian) January 2017 Gantan-sai (Shinto) Holy Convocation (Church of God and Saints of Christ) Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (Sikh) Feast of Epiphany ( Feast of Theophany (Eastern Orthodox Nativity of Christ (Armenian Orthodox) Feast of the Nativity (Eastern Orthodox Maghi (Sikh) Makar Sankranti and Pongal (Hindu)* World Religion Day (Baha i) Chinese/Lunar New Year (Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist) February 2017 Vasant Panchami (Hindu)* Imbolic-Candlemas (Wicca and ;
February 11 February 15 February 25 February 25-28 February 28 March 1 March 12 March 13 March 20 March 21 March 25 March 27 March 28 April 1 April 2 April 5 April 9 April 9-17 April 10 April 11 April 11-14 April 11-17 April 11-18 April 13 April 14 April 16 April 17 April 21 April 24 April 25 April 29 The Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (Eastern Orthodox Tu B shvat (Jewish) Nirvana Day (Buddhist) Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)* Intercalary Days (Baha'i) Shrove Tuesday ( March 2017 Ash Wednesday ( Purim (Jewish) L. Ron Hubbard s Birthday (Church of Scientology) Holi (Hindu)* Hola Mohalla (Sikh) Ostara (Wicca) Nowruz (Zoroastrian) Naw Ruz (Baha i) The Annunciation of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary( Clean Monday (Eastern Orthodox Khordad Sal (Zoroastrian) Chandramana Yugadi (Hindu)* Souramana Yugadi (Hindu)* April 2017 Lazarus Saturday (Eastern Orthodox Palm Sunday (Eastern Orthodox Ramnavami (Hindu)* Palm Sunday ( Passover/Days of Unleavened Bread (Church of God and Saints of Christ) Passover (Philadelphia Church of God); Mahavir Jayanti (Jain) Lord s Evening Meal (Christian, Jehovah s Witness) Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu)* First Day of Unleavened Bread (Church of God) Theravadin New Year (Buddhist) Days of Unleavened Bread (Philadelphia Church of God) Passover (Jewish) Holy Thursday (Christian, Eastern Orthodox Holy Friday (Christian, Eastern Orthodox Easter (Christian, Eastern Orthodox Easter Monday ( Last Day of Unleavened Bread (Church of God) Bright Monday (Eastern Orthodox First Day of Ridvan (Baha i) Lailat al Miraj (Islam)* The 11 th Panchen Lama s Birthday (Buddhist) Ninth Day of Ridvan (Baha i)
May 1 May 2 May 10 May 12 May 14 May 23 May 25 May 27 May 29 May 31 June 1 June 4 June 16 June 21 June 29 May 2017 Beltane (Wicca) Yom Ha Azmaut (Jewish) Twelfth Day of Ridvan (Baha i) Buddha s Birthday/Buddha Day Visakha Puja (Buddhist) Lailat al Bara ah (Islam)* Lag B Omer (Jewish) Declaration of the Bab (Baha i) Ascension of Our Lord ( Ramadan (Islam) Ascension of Baha u llah (Baha i) Shavuot (Jewish) June 2017 Pentecost ( Pentecost (Eastern Orthodox Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (Sikh) Litha (Wicca) Fast of the Holy Apostles (Eastern Orthodox * 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, Commissioner Secretary, NJ State Board of Education Mark W. Biedron, President NJ State Board of Education