A New Jersey school district opted to strip its calendar of all holidays Thursday after an outcry from dozens of angry parents over a move to change the name of Columbus Day.
The Randolph County Schools board voted unanimously to call Thanksgiving, Christmas, Yom Kippur, and every other holiday “day off” when about 100 people attended the meeting, many of whom sought to protest a proposal to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day.
“Why did the board make this motion? Well, Columbus’s role in history, and he was history, has come into question,” a board member said before she was interrupted by a member of the group.
“It’s not debatable, and I’m not going to answer questions thrown at me in the middle of speaking, and I would appreciate it if you would refrain from doing so,” she told the individual.
Several parents criticized the school district’s move, which many asserted was done behind closed doors and without consultation from residents. Read more…
