2012-2013 List of Religious Holidays Permitting Pupil Absence From School
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Adoption Resolution
March 7, 2012
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:
- 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;
- 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;
- 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;
- 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;
- Such absence must not be recorded on any transcript or application or employment form or on any similar form; and
- 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 2012-2013 school year:
Click on hyperlink to view holidays added since resolution
| 2012-2013 School-Year | Observance |
| July 2012 | |
| July 9 | Martyrdom of the Bab (Baha’i) |
| July 3 | Asalha Puja Day (Buddhist) |
| July 4 | Lailat al Bara’ah (Islam) |
| July 13-16 | Ulambana/Oban (Buddhist) |
| July 20 | Ramadan begins (Islam) |
| July 29 | Tisha B’Av (Jewish) |
| August 2012 | |
| August 1 | Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| August 1 | Lammas (Christian and Wicca) |
| August 2 | Raksha Bandhan (Hindu) |
| August 6 | Transfiguration of the Lord (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| August 10 | Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu) |
| August 14 | Laylat as-Qadr (Islam) |
| August 15 | Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| August 15 | Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Christian) |
| August 19-21 | Eid al Fitr (Islam) |
| September 2012 | |
| September 1 | Ecclesiastical Year begins (Orthodox Christian) |
| September 7 | His Holiness Sakya Trizin’s Birthday (Buddhist) |
| September 8 | Nativity of Mary (Christian) |
| September 14 | The Elevation of the Holy Cross (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| September 17 | Feast of Trumpets (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) |
| September 17-18 | Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) |
| September 19 | Ganesha Chaturthi (Hindu) |
| September 21 | Nativity of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| September 22 | Mabon (Wicca) |
| September 26 | Yom Kippur (Jewish) |
| September 26 | Day of Atonement (Christian, Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) |
| October 2012 | |
| October 1-7 | Sukkot (Jewish); Feast of Tabernacles (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) |
| October 8 | Shemini Atzeret (Jewish) |
| October 8 | Last Great Day (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) |
| October 16-23 | Navaratri (Hindu) |
| October 20 | Birth of B’ab (Baha’i) |
| October 20 | Installation of the Scriptures as Guru Granth (Sikh) |
| October 24 * | Hajj Day (Islam) |
| October 24 ** | Duserra (Hindu) |
| October 26-29 | Eid al Adha (Islam) |
| November 2012 | |
| November 1 | All Saints’ Day (Christian) |
| November 1 | Samhain-Beltane (Wicca) |
| November 2 | All Souls’ Day (Christian) |
| November 12 | Birth of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i) |
| November 13 | Diwali [Deepavali] (Hindu, Jain and Sikh) |
| November 15 | Al Hijra – 1st Muharram (Islam) |
| November 15 | Advent/Nativity Fast begins (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| November 21 | The Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| November 24 | Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom (Sikh) |
| November 26 | Day of Covenant (Baha’i) |
| November 28 | Guru Nanak Dev Sahib Birthday (Sikh) |
| November 28 | Ascension of ‘Abdu’l Baha (Baha’i) |
| December 2012 | |
| December 2 | First Sunday of Advent (Christian) |
| December 8 | Bodhi Day (Buddhist) |
| December 8 | Immaculate Conception (Christian) |
| December 9-16 | Hanukkah (Jewish) |
| December 21 | Yule (Wicca and Christian) |
| December 25 | Christmas (Christian) |
| December 25 | The Nativity of Christ (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| December 26 | Zarathosht Diso (Zoroastrian) |
| January 2013 | |
| January 1 | Gantan-sai (Shinto) |
| January 5 | Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (Sikh) |
| January 6 | Epiphany (Christian) |
| January 6 | Feast of Theophany (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| January 6 | Nativity of Christ (Armenian Orthodox) |
| January 6 | Feast of Epiphany (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| January 7 | Feast of the Nativity (Orthodox Christian) |
| January 13 | Maghi (Sikh) |
| January 14 | Makar Sankranti (Hindu) |
| January 15 | World Religion Day (Baha’i) |
| January 24 * | Mawlid an Nabi (Islam) |
| January 26 | Tu B’shvat (Jewish) |
| February 2013 | |
| February 2 | The Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| February 2 | Imbolic-Candlemas (Wicca and Christian) |
| February 10 | Chinese New Year (Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist) |
| February 12 | Shrove Tuesday (Christian) |
| February 13 | Ash Wednesday (Christian) |
| February 14 | Nirvana Day (Buddhist) |
| February 15 | Vasant Panchami (Hindu) |
| February 24 | Purim (Jewish) |
| February 26 through March 1 | Intercalary Days (Baha'i) |
| March 2013 | |
| March 10 | Maha Shivaratri (Hindu) |
| March 13 | L. Ron Hubbard’s Birthday (Church of Scientology) |
| March 18 | Clean Monday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| March 20 | Ostara (Wicca) |
| March 21 | Narouz (Zoroastrian) |
| March 21 | Naw Ruz (Baha’i) |
| March 25 | The Annunciation/The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (Eastern Orthodox Christian; Christian) |
| March 25 | Passover (Philadelphia Church of God) |
| March 26 | Khordad Sal (Zoroastrian) |
| March 26 | First Day of Unleavened Bread (Church of God) |
| March 26-April 1 | Days of Unleavened Bread (Philadelphia Church of God) |
| March 26-April 2 | Pesach (Jewish) |
| March 27 | Lord’s Evening Meal (Christian, Jehovah’s Witness) |
| March 28 | Holy Thursday (Christian, Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| March 28* | Hola Mohalla (Sikh) |
| March 29 | Good Friday (Christian) |
| March 31 | Easter (Christian) |
| April 2013 | |
| April 1 | Last Day of Unleavened Bread (Church of God) |
| April 1 | Easter Monday (Christian) |
| April 11 | Chandramana Yugadi (Hindu) |
| April 14 | Baisakhi (Sikh) |
| April 14 * | Souramana Yugadi (Hindu) |
| April 15 | Yom Ha’Azmaut (Jewish) |
| April 20 | Rami Navami (Hindu) |
| April 21 | First Day of Ridvan (Baha’i) |
| April 23 | Lazarus Saturday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| April 24 | Palm Sunday (Christian/Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| April 25 | Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu) |
| April 25 | The 11th Panchen Lama’s Birthday (Buddhist) |
| April 25 | Mahavir Jayanti (Jain) |
| April 25-28 | Theravadin New Year (Buddhist) |
| April 27 | Holi (Hindu) |
| April 28 | Lag B’Omer (Jewish) |
| April 29 | Ninth Day of Ridvan (Baha’i) |
| May 2013 | |
| May 1 | Beltane (Wicca) |
| May 2 | Twelfth Day of Ridvan (Baha’i) |
| May 3 | Holy Friday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| May 5 | Pascha (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| May 15-16 | Shavuot (Jewish) |
| May 17 | Buddha’s Birthday (Buddhist) |
| May 19 | Pentecost (Christian, Eastern Orthodox Christian, Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) |
| May 23 | Declaration of the Bab (Baha’i) |
| May 25 | Buddha Day – Visakha Puja (Buddhist) |
| May 29 | Ascension of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i) |
| June 2013 | |
| June 5 | Lailat al Miraj (Islam) |
| June 13 | Ascension of Our Lord (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
| June 16 | Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (Sikh) |
| June 21 | Litha (Wicca) |
| June 23 | Pentecost (Eastern Orthodox Christian) |
*Approximate date based on lunar calendar.
** 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 |
Arcelio Aponte, President |
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