New Hope Schools Will Close For Diwali Due To Student Advocacy

NEW HOPE, PA — In June, student Nikita Tayal presented the New Hope-Solebury School District's Board of Directors with a request: that the district's schools close to recognize the Hindu holiday of Diwali.

"How would you feel if you weren't given time to celebrate the most important holiday of the year for you?" she asked, quoting from a student petition she and former NHSSD student Rayna Pherwani had drafted two years prior.

Before this meeting, Tayal disseminated the petition, examined other school districts and their policies, and researched the advocacy of other student agents of change. She met with the Board's Policy Advisory Committee later, culminating in this public request on behalf of the district's growing Hindu community.

An estimated five to 10 percent of enrolled students celebrate Diwali. After deliberating, the Board approved the request in a landmark calendar decision for the schools.

As detailed in the petition, Diwali is the most sacred Hindu holiday: with eight hours of the day spent in classes, hours of homework, and still more time spent at athletic practices, students are left with just about 15 minutes to celebrate when the holiday falls on a school day — or, they have heaps of make-up work to deal with.

Tayal expressed her excitement following the decision.

"I'm just really happy that our school is showing diversity and acceptance of this kind of request," she said. "I know many other Hindus who are so appreciative too."

Kanika Tayal, her mother, is very proud — both that her daughter has "served as a voice for the growing Hindu population in the District ... and that the school board has lived up to its mission statement of cultural diversity and inclusiveness."

Montu Patel, a member of the Board of Directors, appreciated Tayal’s thoughtful presentation and called her a "shining example" of the student leaders being produced at NHSSD.

"In our school community, it is important to us that students feel their voices are valued," said Dr. Charles Lentz, New Hope-Solebury's Superintendent. "We actively engage them in our committees and teach them how to advocate appropriately through the system to get what they are seeking."

For her part, Tayal felt invigorated by the initiative's success.

"You can think...oh, it will never happen," she said. "But this experience changed my mindset. We can make a change in how the school is."

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