# Schools closed on Columbus Day **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 13, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513 "2015-10-13T03:09:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/1 "2015-10-13T03:09:17Z")
I was reading a hockey forum, and multiple posters said schools in NYC were closed. This surprised me, since being on the West Coast I have never heard of either grade schools or colleges closed this holiday. What other school districts close on Columbus Day? And was it more prevalent in the past? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/2 "2015-10-13T03:21:08Z")
All of MA schools are closed today. ---
**Author:** ![CatastrophicFailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@CatastrophicFailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatastrophicFailure)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/3 "2015-10-13T03:35:53Z")
It goes state by state. This link ([Working on Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day? It depends on where your job is | Pew Research Center](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/10/08/working-on-columbus-day-it-depends-on-where-you-live/)) shows who does and who doesn’t observe it. Where I am, today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/4 "2015-10-13T03:38:37Z")
In Ohio, some public school districts close and some don’t. It’s up to the local board. When I was in college (a public university), we got a day off for Columbus Day, but it was observed the day after Thanksgiving. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/5 "2015-10-13T05:33:00Z")
In Minnesota, all the Italian-americans meet at the State Capitol. by the statue of Chirstopher Columbus out front on the mall. Then the Scandinavian-americans meet on the other side of the mall, at the Leif Ericsson statue. They listen to competing speeches, sing songs, drink beverages, and eventually meet in the middle for a brawl. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/6 "2015-10-13T06:15:17Z")
It’s actually Thanksgiving, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/7 "2015-10-13T08:06:51Z")
During the time I was a government employee (the state) Columbus Day was my favorite holiday because it was the ONLY one where I had the day off but my kids had school. Usual the stupid holidays were the reverse–kids off school, I had to work and had to figure out something to do with kids that day. Oh, and I love this Columbus Day fact: on the reservation mail IS delivered on Columbus Day. They make sure they have some to deliver. (I do not live on the rez but my cousin does and he is the mailman. He did not instigate the tradition though.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/8 "2015-10-13T11:20:54Z")
My school in NJ had Columbus Day off when I was a kid. Now it varies from town to town. My kids had school yesterday but others do not. Years ago the Italian community was much more cohesive and the day was a big deal the closer you got to NYC. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/9 "2015-10-13T11:54:58Z")
The schools were open here, but the libraries were closed. (I stopped in at the bank; there were no other customers; one of the folks working there proffered a guess that people must _think_ they’re closed, since Mondays are usually pretty busy.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/10 "2015-10-13T12:04:58Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > The schools were open here, but the libraries were closed. (I stopped in at the bank; there were no other customers; one of the folks working there proffered a guess that people must _think_ they’re closed, since Mondays are usually pretty busy.) It happened to be my day off but not because of the holiday (I work 4 10 hour days a week). I was running around doing errands and stopped off at the Post Office. I didn’t remember the holiday until I was pulling on the door handle. For once parking wasn’t a problem. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/11 "2015-10-13T12:28:53Z")
Yesterday at work I went out to get the mail three times, thinking the delivery guy was late each time. Meh, I could use the exercise. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/12 "2015-10-13T12:39:49Z")
Hell, in Chicago, public schools used to (still?) have Pulaski (Crawford?) Day off! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/13 "2015-10-13T12:56:33Z")
Because of the strong Italian community in Boston, we’ve always has Columbus Day off. We also have St Patrick’s day for the Irish, but we don’t call it that, it’s [Evacuation Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evacuation_Day_(Massachusetts)). Which just happens to fall on March 17th. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/14 "2015-10-13T13:05:30Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > The schools were open here, but the libraries were closed. (I stopped in at the bank; there were no other customers; one of the folks working there proffered a guess that people must _think_ they’re closed, since Mondays are usually pretty busy.) Your bank was open? It’s a federal holiday, so banks usually are closed, as no business occurs, it’s all shuffled off to Tuesday anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/15 "2015-10-13T13:16:45Z")
[what happened to Columbus day?](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2011/10/working_on_columbus_day_when_did_the_holiday_disappear_.html) from Slate. > [@](#): > > Federal workers and the employees of 24 states still get the holiday, but they’re now in the minority. An interesting review of this holiday’s status across the US. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/16 "2015-10-13T13:23:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Your bank was open? It’s a federal holiday, so banks usually are closed, as no business occurs, it’s all shuffled off to Tuesday anyway. Hey, if you lose your ATM card – or need a cashier’s check, or want to open a savings account, or apply for a loan, or realize you should put your passport in your safe deposit box, or whatever – maybe you don’t care that transactions won’t count until Tuesday? (On googling I see some were open, and some weren’t; Wells Fargo was.) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/17 "2015-10-13T13:25:04Z")
Business as usual in Texas schools. Also, three different doctors office and hospital administration offices open as usual. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/18 "2015-10-13T13:47:05Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Oh, and I love this Columbus Day fact: on the reservation mail IS delivered on Columbus Day. They make sure they have some to deliver. (I do not live on the rez but my cousin does and he is the mailman. He did not instigate the tradition though.) How does this work? Do they save some mail from the week before and just deliver it Oct. 12? And who does the actual delivery, since I can’t imagine Postal service employees giving up a holiday just to make a point (or being given permission to do so)? ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/19 "2015-10-13T14:24:41Z")
Why would you think mail is not transported between regional USPS hubs 7 days a week and then delivered to post offices when they are open? As to delivery on reservations, I was pretty sure of the way it might work and found an example. > [@](#): > > The Mashantucket Pequot Post Office is a Contract Postal Unit (CPU) in Mashantucket (ZIP Code 06338) that is tribally owned and under contract to the Postal Service™ to provide postal services to the public at Postal prices. From [here](http://www.mashantucket.com/postoffice.aspx). The link does not list this tribal post office’s days of operation. Being tribally owned, though, I could see where such post offices might just want to conduct business as usual on October 12 each year. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513/20 "2015-10-13T14:47:11Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Business as usual in Texas schools. Schools were closed in Austin, TX (and in many surrounding districts, I believe.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-closed-on-columbus-day/734513.md?page=2)