New name for Columbus Day gets pushback

The year isn’t the only thing changing on the next city public schools calendar.

Several shifts to the 2021-22 school schedule, released Tuesday, sparked strong reactions from parents and elected officials — including a decision to rename Columbus Day, on Oct. 11.

Officials initially said Tuesday morning they would rename the holiday Indigenous Peoples’ Day this year, but got swift pushback.

“There is nothing wrong with celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but doing it at the expense of a day that celebrates Italian-American and history is downright insulting,” said Councilman Joe Borelli (R-S.I.), who issued a statement with fellow Councilman Steven Matteo (R-S.I.) and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-S.I.).

State Sens. Diane Savino and Joe Addabbo called the decision “blockheaded,” arguing that Columbus Day is a federal holiday, and the renaming does a “terrible disservice to a difficult and complex conversation.”

Education Department officials quickly relented, amending the new name of the holiday to “Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day.”

The fall holiday renaming isn’t the only change to the calendar.

City schools will officially mark Juneteenth, which celebrates the emancipation of the last remaining enslaved people in the U.S. after the Civil War, for the first time with a day off from class on June 20, 2022.

School will officially begin on Sept. 13 — a welcome sign for parents hoping for a more stable start to the school year after last year’s frantic scramble, which included several eleventh-hour changes.

Election Day on Nov. 2 will also be a remote learning day, officials said.