STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4038 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 26, 2019 ___________ Introduced by Sen. THOMAS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing certain school holidays The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3204-a 2 to read as follows: 3 § 3204-a. Cultural school holidays. 1. The following cultural or reli- 4 gious holidays shall be school holidays for any schools or school 5 districts where the board of education or trustees determines such 6 schools or districts have a significant population of students who 7 observe such days: Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali, Vaisakhi, Good 8 Friday and Onam. 9 2. A school district having a population equal to or greater than 10 seven and one-half percent of persons or ethnic groups, identified by 11 the United States census bureau in the most recent decennial United 12 States census, which observe the respective holidays named in subdivi- 13 sion one of this section are hereby authorized and directed to cause all 14 public schools within such district to be closed on such days. 15 § 2. Section 3604 of the education law is amended by adding a new 16 subdivision 7-c to read as follows: 17 7-c. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of any 18 calculation under subdivision seven or eight of this section, the 19 commissioner shall disregard any reduction resulting from observance of 20 Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali, Vaisakhi, Good Friday and Onam and, if 21 necessary, such observed holidays shall be calculated as session days. 22 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 23 the date on which it shall have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD10085-03-9