By Katie Honan
JACKSON HEIGHTS — It’s a fight for the festival of lights.
A local councilman is asking the Department of Education to recognize Diwali — a Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh festival that involves lighting lamps to keep away evil spirits — as an official school holiday off, arguing that tens of thousands of children are now forced to choose between going to school and spending time with their families.
City Councilman Daniel Dromm held a press conference with other elected officials and community members Thursday to demand that the Department of Education designate Diwali as a day off for public school students. The third of the five-day festival falls on Nov. 3 this year, and is the most celebrated day, the councilman explained.
“These students must pick between attending class or spending the day with their families, while students in the Christian and Jewish faiths do not have to make this decision when they celebrate holidays like Rosh Hashana and Christmas,” Dromm said. “There shouldn’t be this discrepancy.”
read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131017/jackson-heights/diwali-should-be-official-school-holiday-councilman-says