why don't we get chinese new year as a day off

[haplesshobo]

Why don't we get that day off as a holiday?

I know in NYC, many schools don't have classes on jewish holidays. Yet, those same schools don't do that for Chinese New Year even though there are just as many chinese and asian students as jewish students at those schools.

[pikachupacabra]

I know in SF you're allowed to take it off as an optional holiday if you're chinese. I didn't go to school in SF though, so I can't really give details, but this is what a current SF HS kid told me.

[Fireblade]

You're allowed a day off... but some teachers count it as an abscence from class. It is not an official holiday, so this doesn't not shut down the school.

Oh, and it's not limited to chinese kids. Basically any asian kid. It's really supposed to be Lunar New Years.

[Paradox]

Well most asian countries don't celebrate specific western orientated holidays so I don't see what the problem is. After all not many Americans celebrate Chinese new years so it's not a big deal. Remember Jews have a lot of pull in NY. Every other Jewish politician, lawyer, stock broker, and actor is from there so they can bend the laws any which way they want.

[Chad]

It would make sense to give people the day off since not only Chinese celebrate at this time. The new moon marks the new year for a lot of different people.

[uhhden]

I know in SF you're allowed to take it off as an optional holiday if you're chinese. I didn't go to school in SF though, so I can't really give details, but this is what a current SF HS kid told me.

Actually, a lot of elementary schools just made the day a holiday...or observe a day for it. When I went to elementary school in SF (mind you this was more than 10 years ago), our school was like 97% Asian (predominantly Chinese and Vietnamese), days like the Lunar New Year had such little attendance that the school district just chopped the day off the annual school calendar.