NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New York City public schools will observe “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” and “Italian Heritage Day” instead of Columbus Day this year.
The New York City Department of Education on Tuesday morning released a 2021-2022 school calendar that listed Indigenous Peoples’ Day — not Columbus Day — on Monday, Oct. 11.
Hours later, the department put out a statement saying it had updated the calendar to include the observance of “Italian Heritage Day” that day as well.
“Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day will celebrate the contributions and legacies of Italian Americans and recognize that Native people are the first inhabitants of the land that became our country,” DOE press secretary Danielle Filson said in a statement.
“By including these holidays on our calendar, we are honoring the past, present and future contributions of Indigenous communities and Italian Americans,” she added.
Public schools will also close in observance of Juneteenth for the first time this year, the calendar shows.
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