Are schools closed on Columbus Day?

EVERY year, the holiday of the same name commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America.

With Columbus Day recognized as a federal holiday, parents are curious if their child has a day off from school.

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Are schools closed on Columbus Day?

Although Columbus Day was declared an official holiday in 1937, it depends on which state you live in and how it affects you.

Whether your school will be closed depends on the state, city and type of school.

This is because Columbus Day is a public holiday, so in some areas schools and most businesses are closed, while in other areas Columbus Day is a normal working day.

Because public schools are controlled at both the local and state levels, there is no federal law mandating school closures. It is therefore best to inquire directly with your school.

Typically, East Coast schools close on Columbus Day while West Coast schools remain open.

However, in some states, including Florida, closures are at the discretion of schools — so it’s always best to check.

Is it now Indigenous Peoples Day?

For over 130 years there has been controversy over whether the day should be called Columbus Day or Native American Day.

Back in 1492, Columbus thought he had found Asia, but it wasn’t until his third voyage and the torture and enslavement of many native peoples that he realized he had fully discovered another continent.

Throughout history, many people believed that it should be called Native American Day to educate Americans about the loss of life that occurred after the arrival of Columbus.

In 2014, Indigenous Peoples Day 2014 was officially recognized at the national level, with many states recognizing it as a public holiday over Columbus Day.

Then, seven years later, President Joe Biden became the first Supreme Commander to officially recognize Indigenous Peoples Day by issuing a proclamation celebrating the upcoming holiday.

On October 8, he stated, “On Indigenous Peoples Day, our nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and pledges to honor the federal government’s trust and treaty obligations to tribal nations.

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“On Indigenous Peoples Day, we honor America’s first inhabitants and the tribal nations that continue to thrive today.”

Despite the recognition, many people still refer to the day as Columbus Day after June 16 became a federal holiday, but many senators over the years have stated that they would like to eliminate Columbus Day as a federal holiday.

October 10, 2022 is known as both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day.

Why do we celebrate Columbus Day?

Christopher Columbus stumbled across America in 1492 after setting sail from Spain with a crew of three ships, the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María.

Columbus Day is a public holiday in some areas of the United States and is always celebrated on the second Monday in October

It was celebrated informally by various Italian and Catholic American communities as early as the late 17th century.

Anti-Catholic and anti-Italian feelings were rife in the United States at the time, and Columbus served as an uplifting symbol to these communities.

In 1907, Colorado became the first state to officially celebrate Columbus Day.

Italian immigrants Angelo Noce and Siro Mangini worked with State Senator Casimiro Barela to enact the holiday.

Mr Magini’s daughter later told the Denver Post that Columbus was “a person Italian Americans would not throw stones at”.

Columbus Day was not made an official national holiday until 1937, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared it a recurring holiday on October 12.

Congress later moved it to the second Monday in October.