AJQ Newsletter May 5th, 2026

Where we dig into the Lunar New Year controversy in preparation of this week's very consequential school committee meeting.

Quincy’s Schools Have Changed. The Calendar Should Too

A special report written by Joe Murphy featuring research by Gina Favata

On May 6, the Quincy Public Schools School Committee will vote on the 2026–2027 school calendar—a decision that will once again determine whether Lunar New Year is recognized as a school holiday.

For years, this issue has returned again and again.
Each time, the outcome has been the same.

But this year feels different.

A Community Showing Up

At an April 2026 School Committee meeting, one thing was unmistakable:

Students, teachers, parents, and residents all showed up—together—to speak in support of Lunar New Year.

Eighteen speakers and written submissions filled the open forum.

They spoke about what the holiday means:

• A time when families gather “to celebrate and observe traditional customs”

• “One of the most important times of the year” for students balancing school and family

• A moment where recognition would mean “being seen, respected, and valued”

Others made the case in simple, measurable terms:

“39.3% of our student body is Asian… we are well beyond the tipping point.”

The message was consistent across voices:

This is not a niche issue. It is a community reality.

A School System That Has Already Changed

In Quincy Public Schools:

• Asian students make up 39.3% of the district—the largest group

• In some schools, such as NQHS they are the majority

And on Lunar New Year, that reality shows up in attendance.

For instance, NQHS classrooms are partially empty with ~55% of the students out for the LNY holiday. Students are absent—not disengaged, but observing an important cultural holiday.

The system is already adapting informally.

The calendar has not.

The “H” Controversy: Recognition Without Commitment

This year, the debate has narrowed to a seemingly small question:
whether Lunar New Year should be marked with an “H” designation on the calendar.

In Quincy, an “H” signals an official holiday.

At the meeting, one speaker captured the expectation:

“I believe you’re going to put an H on the holiday…”

Tom Leung, the first Asian member of Quincy’s School Committee added ““In fact, I asked the policy subcommittee to consider designating Lunar New Year with an H on this calendar, and it did not get out of subcommittee with the reason given that it would be inequitable. I do not question those school committee members, past and present, in their conviction that it would be inequitable to recognize Lunar New Year as a school holiday. But as sure and as dug in as they are that they are right, I am just as certain that I am right.”

But even this “costless” incremental step has faced resistance.

School Committee members have pointed to Policy 9.2, which limits “H” holidays to federal, state, municipal, or contractual holidays.

In an April 11 interview, Committee member Tina Cahill stated:

“H is for federal, state and municipal holidays. So that’s how I would leave it.”

On its face, that sounds like a clear rule.

But the current draft calendar includes Good Friday as an “H” holiday—despite the fact that it is not a federal, state, or municipal holiday.

When asked about this, Cahill described Good Friday as “contractual.”

However, the Quincy Education Association contract specifies the number of work days—not which days are designated as holidays. And not all school employees are covered by that contract.

So the standard being used to exclude Lunar New Year is not being applied consistently.

A Question of Consistency: Lunar New Year vs. Good Friday

The school calendar is often described as neutral.

It isn’t.

Good Friday is observed as a school holiday in Quincy Public Schools, even though it is a Christian religious observance and not a federal holiday.

A moment from this year’s “Quincy Way of the Cross” on Good Friday

That raises a straightforward question:

If the calendar can include a holiday rooted in one religious tradition,
why is it so difficult to include Lunar New Year?

This is not about removing any existing holiday.

It is about applying the same standard consistently.

Right now, the calendar already reflects cultural and religious choices.
The issue is which communities are reflected—and which are not.

From Quincy Asian Resources

A New Barrier, a moved goalpost: Raising the Threshold

This year, the debate has taken a procedural turn.

After years of advocacy, there are indications that a majority of the School Committee may support adding Lunar New Year.

But a new argument has emerged:
that doing so requires a two-thirds vote.

That claim depends on treating the change as a “suspension of policy.”

But the Committee’s own rules suggest otherwise:

• Under Policy 9.2, the calendar is approved annually

• There is no fixed list of holidays in policy

• Calendar approvals have historically been decided by simple majority

Adding Lunar New Year does not override policy.

It simply means approving a different calendar.

This is not a suspension. It is a standard vote.

---

What Happens If There’s Disagreement?

Even if the chair rules that a 2/3 vote is required, the Committee is not bound to accept that interpretation.

Under its own rules and Robert’s Rules of Order:

• A member can appeal the decision of the chair

• The full Committee then votes on whether to uphold that ruling

• That vote is decided by a simple majority

So even the threshold question is not fixed.

It is itself a decision.

What This Moment Reveals

Taken together, this debate reveals something deeper.

Not just disagreement about a holiday—but a tension between:

• a diverse, evolving student body

• and a system still anchored in older assumptions about what is “standard”

When nearly 40% of students share a cultural tradition that is not reflected in the calendar, that gap becomes impossible to ignore.

And when recognition is delayed—not by lack of support, but by shifting standards and procedural barriers—it raises broader questions about how decisions are made.

A Decision Waiting to Be Made

Quincy has changed.
Its schools have changed.
Its students have changed.

At the meeting, the community made its position clear—across generations, roles, and backgrounds.

The question now is not whether the case has been made.

It has.

The question is whether Quincy Public Schools will allow its policies—and its calendar—to reflect the community it serves.

Get Involved

If you believe Lunar New Year should be recognized:

• Attend School Committee meetings

• Speak during public comment

• Submit written statements

• Contact School Committee members

The May 6 meeting is the next opportunity, where the calendar is up for a vote. This meeting will have public forum as well.

This is not just about a day on the calendar.

It is about whether public institutions evolve with the people they represent.