Shrewsbury To Discuss Making Diwali A School District Holiday

SHREWSBURY, MA — The Shrewsbury School Committee will discuss the district's next school year calendar in February, and they made add a new holiday: Diwali, one of the main celebrations in the Hindu religion.

The committee will begin talks on the 2023-24 school year calendar in February. Anand Sharma, a Shrewsbury parent and Town Meeting member, has asked the district to add Diwali — typically celebrated in autumn — to the calendar this year.

Other Massachusetts school districts, including Westborough, Holliston and Littleton, have added Diwali to the school calendar in recent years. Students in those districts typically a get day off. Diwali is a festival that takes place over five days, but the third day is typically the main celebration.

Shrewsbury School Committee Chair Lynsey Heffernan said this week the committee will begin talks on the 2023-24 calendar on Feb. 15, with approval possible at the March 1 meeting.

As of 2019, Shrewsbury had the highest population of Indian-Americans in Massachusetts behind Boston and Cambridge, according to the American Community Survey, and is home to the India Society of Worcester cultural organization.