TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River Regional School District Superintendent Michael Citta, the number two guy under former disgraced superintendent Michael Ritacco spoke out against criticism after he and the school district canceled Columbus Day.
Ritacco was convicted by the FBI and Department of Justice for bribery and political corruption. Citta served as assistant superintendent during the troubled Ritacco era.
Citta said the Italian-American based holiday was whacked not because of the progressive and woke culture war being waged by the left against Christopher Columbus, but to provide students more continuity in the beginning of the school year.
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“It’s about trying to get the most continuity at the beginning of the year,” Citta said.
Citta reminded upset members of the community that the district has also previously cancelled Veterans Day too.
“We go to school on Veterans Day,” Citta said in an interview this week. “I think we can do more for kids on those days than taking off. It’s more about having a fluid year for them without disruption.”
But, the Toms River Regional School District’s back-to-school calendar is anything but fluid.
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Two weeks after school starts, the district shuts down on Monday, September 26th for Rosh Hashannah. Six school days later, schools close again for Yom Kippur. Then in November, the district shuts down for an entire week between November 3-11 for the annual NJEA convention.
The last day of school in Toms River in 2024 is now symbolically on June 16th, prior to the June 19th Juneteenth holiday.
Related: Who Else Was New Jersey Assemblyman Greg McGuckin and the OC GOP Spying On?
