Yesterday, Assemblyman Fall (D-Richmond) introduced legislation that would require SUNY, CUNY or state-funded-institutions of higher education in New York to allow students the right to observe certain religious holidays and non-traditional days of observance without facing academic repercussions.

Students would be required to submit in writing to their instructor three (3) days before any exam, quiz or work study project that they intend to observe a holiday. Faculty and administrative officials of each state university, city university or publicly-funded institutions of higher education would be required to make available to each student who is absent from school the opportunity to make up any examination, study or work requirements which he/she may have missed because of holiday observance.

No fees of any kind will be charged by the institution - for the make-up process - to any student. Students, who are wronged by the alleged failure of any faculty or administrative officials to comply in good faith, shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceedings in the supreme court of the county in which the institution of higher learning is located.

Contained in the legislative text are examples of non-tradition days of observance and religious holidays, which include;

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Good Friday
• President’s Day/Washington Birthday
• Passover Seder
• New Year’s Eve
• First and Last day of Ramadan
• Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• Christmas Eve
• Veterans’ Day
• Vaisakhi (Sikh New Year)
• Day before Independence Day
• Diwali (Hindu)
• Vesak (Birth/Death of Buddha)

“I introduced this legislation because of how important non-traditional and traditional celebrations are to the core aspect of any culture. Celebrating traditions helps keep people grounded in their own culture and this law encourages us to further acknowledge other practices,” said Assemblyman Charles D. Fall