Asian American parents and students are pushing to make Lunar New Year an official school holiday in Maryland’s Montgomery County Public School District, reported Bethesda Magazine.
According to the report, the push to close schools on Lunar New Year was prompted by a survey sent out by Montgomery Public School officials this past spring. The survey asked students, school staff, and parents about the holidays they observed.
The Washington Post reported officials received an estimated 40,000 responses to the survey. The results of the survey will be read at a school board meeting on July 19.
Students and parents testified before the school board on Monday, June 25 to advocate for a day off. Julie Yang, president of the Chinese American Parents Association of Montgomery County told Bethesda Magazine that members of the group wanted to add to the survey responses with in-person testimony at a school board meeting.
Around 14 percent of the Montgomery County Public School population is Asian American, according to Bethesda Magazine. Yang told The Washington Post that, according to data from the Asian American Health Initiative, three-quarters of that population are foreign-born. She said that recognition of the holiday would help “build a bridge” for those people who feel tied to their cultural heritage
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Several students have been vocal about the importance of recognizing Lunar New Year. Some feel it is important because it teaches a diverse Montgomery County about other cultures. Others also say it is important because it allows students to observe a holiday that is significant to them.
“It’s important to me to be off because it’s the best chance I get to relate to my family in China, and to connect more with my parents and my brother, and to learn more about my culture,” middle school student Angelina Xu told The Washington Post.
The school board has not made a decision on the issue yet. According to Bethesda Magazine, the school board will discuss the 2019-2020 calendar in the upcoming weeks.
link to wikimedia commons photo of NYC Lunar New Year parade: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dragon_dance_meets_bird_at_NYC_Lunar_New_Year_parade_(52336)e.jpg
