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Bill

A 827

Establishes Diwali as a school holiday

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jenifer Rajkumar

Designates Diwali as a public school holiday, giving K–12 students and staff a day off on the festival and prompting calendar adjustments across districts.

REFERRED TO EDUCATION
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Bill Summary · A 827

Summary of Bill A 827 – Establishes Diwali as a School Holiday

Overview

  • Bill Number: A 827
  • Title: Establishes Diwali as a school holiday
  • Status: Referred to Education (committee)
  • Introduced: January 8, 2025
  • Primary Sponsor: Jenifer Rajkumar

What the bill would do

  • The core provision of the bill is to designate Diwali, a major Hindu festival, as a school holiday.
  • By establishing Diwali as a holiday on public school calendars, the bill aims to formalize a day off for students and staff that observe the festival.

Key provisions (currently available information)

  • Establishment of Diwali as a school holiday within public school calendars.
  • The bill’s text (not provided here) would determine how this holiday interacts with required instructional days, school calendars, and attendance policies. Based on the title and status, the primary change is the formal designation of Diwali as a holiday; additional administrative details would appear in the bill’s full language.

Who would be affected

  • Public K-12 students and school staff in districts covered by the state’s public education system.
  • School district administrators and calendar coordinators who would integrate Diwali into the annual calendar.
  • Families and communities observing Diwali, who would benefit from a recognized school holiday aligned with cultural and religious observances.

Procedural and timeline context

  • The bill has been introduced and referred to the Education Committee. This signals the start of committee consideration, where amendments or additional provisions could be added.
  • Typical next steps (if pursued) would include committee hearings, potential amendments, floor debates and votes in the Assembly, passage by the legislature, and final action by the governor (subject to gubernatorial approval or veto). The current status does not indicate progression beyond the Education Committee.

Additional notes

  • The available information notes the same committee referral action twice on the same date, which may reflect standard procedural notation or a duplicated entry in the bill’s tracking records.
  • As with many bills, the exact operational details—such as how many school days are affected, whether observance requires a full day off or allows excused absences, or accommodations for schools with different calendars—will be specified in the bill’s full text and any enacted amendments.

If you’d like, I can tailor this summary to align with a particular state’s legislative format or compare it to similar holiday-designation bills.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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