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New York City’s holiday gift to public school families and educators: Monday, Dec. 23 will now be a day off.
The shift comes after mounting pressure from school communities warning that a one-day week before winter break would be sparsely attended. Brooklyn eighth grader Isaac Regnier last year petitioned the city to strike the day from the calendar, garnering nearly 23,000 signatures .
At a celebratory announcement at the headquarters of the United Federation of Teachers, Mayor Eric Adams, pointed to the 13-year-old as a catalyst for the change.
“He was able to get this victory,” Adams said. “Young people are going to know that their voices matter.” The mayor also showed a video of a call he placed to Isaac during the school day at I.S. 96 in Bensonhurst. The mayor said he was following through on the student’s request to cancel class on Dec. 23.
“I feel so proud of myself for all that hard work I did,” said Isaac, whose effort was first reported by Chalkbeat.