Some Parents Want Students to Have Off for Diwali

A group of Asian-Indian parents is asking the Millburn school district to add the Hindu holiday of Diwali to its calendar of days off.

The one-day holiday typically falls between late October or early November.

The parents have started a petition and plan to present it to the school district, according to nj.com.

Earlier this year Short Hills resident Jyoti B. Sharma wrote a letter to the Star-Ledger addressing the community request.

The Asian student population in Millburn schools has grown 11 percent—up to 22 percent in the 2012-13 school year—over the past decade, according to New Jersey Department of Education data reported by NJ.com. 

"The [Diwali] festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance, although the actual legends that go with the festival are different in different parts of India," according to the BBC.