NEW YORK – Today, State Senator Daniel Squadron joined Mayor Bill de Blasio at PS 20 in Flushing, Queens to announce the inclusion of Lunar New Year as a school holiday. Squadron released the following statement:

"I'm thrilled our hard work to include Lunar New Year as a school holiday led to Mayor de Blasio's announcement today -- and in time to ring in the Year of the Monkey. For years, we pushed so that those who celebrate Lunar New Year are no longer forced to choose between class and their most important cultural holiday. The Mayor's pledge and today's addition of Lunar New Year to the school calendar send a strong and meaningful message that as the city changes, the school calendar must change with it. Asian-Americans make up 15 percent of New York students, and absentee rates in some schools are up to 80 percent on Lunar New Year.

It's been a long push, and today our voices are heard.

I thank Mayor de Blasio, Chancellor Farina, bill sponsors Assemblymember Kim, Congressmember Meng, Senator Golden, and Councilmember Chin, my colleagues and all the community leaders and advocates who joined our push for this change."