# Are there any school districts in the US that have Columbus Day off? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233 "2005-10-07T19:29:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/21 "2005-10-07T23:07:44Z")
CA districts get the day off. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/22 "2005-10-07T23:10:18Z")
But apparently not ALL California districts! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/23 "2005-10-07T23:42:41Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > Of course, the [city of Berkeley, California](http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/) celebrates it as “Indigenous People’s Day”. But do the kids get the day off from school? _[sarcasm mode on]Or, it being Berkeley, does everyone have to wear hair shirts for 24 hours and periodically flagellate themselves for the sins committed by Columbus and European settlers?[/sarcasm mode off]_ > [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > It is a “non-instructional day” in the Natomas Unified School District. The kids get the day off, but teachers are in-service. Since most school districts in California will be open on Columbus Day, I think what that is what we call a “curriculum day” in Washington. I just noticed in the school district where I live that there will be no classes held on Friday on October 14th. I believe that too is a “non-instructional” or “curriculum day” rather than a belated observance of Columbus Day. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/24 "2005-10-07T23:45:56Z")
I never once had Columbus Day during my entire schooling in California (both private and public). The LA public schools are open on Columbus Day. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/25 "2005-10-08T02:13:18Z")
Basically, here’s what happened: Columbus Day USED to be a federal holiday, on which most schools around the country were closed, as were the Post Office, most governmental agencies, most banks, et al. When Martin Luther King Day became a federal holiday, a lot of states were too stingy to give their employees an extra day off, and started looking for a holiday they could trim in order to make MLK Day a holiday. In most states, Columbus Day seemed like the most expendable holiday (especially since modern PC philosophy holds that Columbus was an evil racist). However, in states where there were either 1. A lot of Italians, or 2. Strong state and municipal employee unions Columbus Day remained a holiday. In states like New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Illinois, you’d have Italian-Americans up in arms if they tried to eliminate Columbus Day. And in a few other states, employees were VERY happy to have an extra day off, and weren’t about to give one up. But in states like Texas, where there are millions of African-Americans and very few Italians, Columbus Day was toast once MLK Day was enacted. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/26 "2005-10-08T02:30:22Z")
Fairfax County, Va., is off. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/27 "2005-10-08T02:39:33Z")
Long Island (NY) schools are off, but lots of sports are scheduled for that day. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/28 "2005-10-08T03:47:16Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Basically, here’s what happened: > > Columbus Day USED to be a federal holiday, on which most schools around the country were closed, as were the Post Office, most governmental agencies, most banks, et al. > > When Martin Luther King Day became a federal holiday, a lot of **states** [emphasis added]… You’re mixing up federal holidays and state holidays. Columbus Day is still a federal holiday. All federal offices, including the U.S. Post Office are closed. My wife is a federal employee, and her whole office is closed. When I was in the Navy, we followed a holiday routine. However, schools and banks are not federal institutions, nor are state and local governments. Whether or not a holiday is a federal holiday is irrelevant for these. States and/or local governments and/or private businesses (including banks) make their own decision(s) as to how to treat the day. It has nothing whatsovever to do with the fact that Columbus Day is still a federal holiday. For what it’s worth, Connecticut schools are off that day. My private company I work for treats it as one of five “floating” holidays. Of the five floaters (which include MLK Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day, among others), you get to choose two. ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/29 "2005-10-08T04:32:24Z")
I can’t quite remember, but I think my school district (Beavercreek, Ohio) had Columbus Day off, but not officially because it was Columbus Day. It was said to be teacher conferences or something, I think. I could be wrong about the whole thing, though… maybe we did go to school on Columbus Day. Interestingly, in college (Ohio Wesleyan) we had Columbus Day off because it falls in the middle of the semester, and somebody in the past had somehow struck a deal to get a three day weekend in the fall semester (this in addition to a full week at Thanksgiving). The day off was simply called a mid-semester break, though, and it was very easy to forget that it was actually a federal holiday since we didn’t get any other holidays off besides Thanksgiving. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/30 "2005-10-08T04:39:35Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I’ve always thought of it as a Yankee thing. South Carolina schools are definately open (and I can assure you, so are the libraries.) Mostly here we buy mattresses on Columbus Day. Not entirely a Yankee thing. Alabama schools are closed. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/31 "2005-10-08T07:11:41Z")
I’m also cynically wondering if Columbus Day as a holiday is directly related to the quality of fall foliage in the area. I’ve renamed Columbus Day as “Bureaucrat Leef Peeping Day.” ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/32 "2005-10-08T12:50:33Z")
Maryland schools are open. They were just closed last Tuesday for Rosh Hashanah and again this Thursday for Yom Kippur, and they’re closed the 21st and 24th (making a long weekend) for teacher in-service training days, so they certainly don’t need any more days off. When I was a kid, I don’t ever remember having Columbus Day off, either. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/33 "2005-10-08T15:18:48Z")
There was an episode of **The Sopranos** that dealt with Columbus Day, and all the mobsters really sincerely cared about it. Blew our Southern little minds (although evidently some Southern states take the holiday). We couldn’t possibly imagine anybody really giving a crap about Columbus Day (unless of course they needed a new mattress. Or underwear; it used to seem like underwear was always on sale for Columbus Day.) ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/34 "2005-10-08T19:51:07Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Fairfax County, Va., is off. Which is interesting because Prince George’s Co., MD schools - right across the Potomac River - is not closed at all. Which brings up yet another interesting day off: we have Yom Kippur off (Thursday). And we had an edict for Rosh Hashannah (sp?) and the first full day of Ramadan that we weren’t to give any tests or quizzes. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/35 "2005-10-08T23:25:01Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > Maryland schools are open. They were just closed last Tuesday for Rosh Hashanah and again this Thursday for Yom Kippur, and they’re closed the 21st and 24th (making a long weekend) for teacher in-service training days, so they certainly don’t need any more days off. > > When I was a kid, I don’t ever remember having Columbus Day off, either. Ditto. Mind you, when I was a kid, I lived in Canada and didn’t get Columbus Day off 'cause it didn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/36 "2005-10-09T00:49:33Z")
**CookingWithGas** , with what school are you affiliated? (I dunno if you’re a teacher or a student, and this is the only way I can ask that fits both) ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/37 "2005-10-09T01:01:01Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > Ditto. > > Mind you, when I was a kid, I lived in Canada and didn’t get Columbus Day off 'cause it didn’t exist. You didn’t call the day you got off Columbus day, but you did get that day off. It’s Thanksgiving. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2005, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/38 "2005-10-09T02:58:52Z")
I seem to recall that the Worcester Public Schools (in MA) had started replacing stupid holidays with stupid teacher training days. So, instead of annoying people by giving the kids Columbus Day, they made it a teacher training day. There was another teacher day but I don’t remember what it was. I also seem to recall my teachers being kinda annoyed with the whole thing. After all, they used to get a day off too. I really don’t care what they call it, I just want the damn day off 😃 What I don’t understand is employers who give Columbus Day as a holiday but not Veteran’s Day. I’d much prefer Veteran’s Day. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/39 "2005-10-09T04:31:39Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > Mind you, when I was a kid, I lived in Canada and didn’t get Columbus Day off 'cause it didn’t exist. Why not? Columbus discovered Canada just as much as he discovered the United States. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Grandiloquent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2acd7d/32.png) [@Grandiloquent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grandiloquent)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233/40 "2005-10-09T05:10:19Z")
I never got Columbus Day off (IL public schools, including a university). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-school-districts-in-the-us-that-have-columbus-day-off/325233.md?page=1)