With Labor Day just around the corner, many families are planning weekend vacations or excursions with their children. But will their kids have to skip school to go?
For most families, the answer is no as Labor Day is a federal holiday , which means that banks, post offices and, yes, schools, will be closed . That applies to colleges and universities, too.
But, with any rule, there are always exceptions — some schools will remain open, as will some colleges and universities. It's recommended that parents and students check with their local school district, private schools or their colleges and universities to see whether or not classes will take place.
Most educational institutions, no matter what level, publish academic calendars on their websites — which include all the days students are scheduled to have off. If Labor Day isn't listed, it could mean one of two things: students will be expected to go to class as usual, or, for some school districts, classes haven't yet started, and students are still enjoying their summer breaks.
The majority of public schools across the country begin classes before Labor Day, usually in August, though some begin in the middle or end of July. Others, like New York City's public schools , don't start until the Thursday after Labor Day, and many others in the Northeast and New England don't start until the following week or even later, according to the Pew Research Center .
Labor Day always falls on the first Monday in September, which means that this year, it's on Monday, Sept. 2. This year will be the 130th anniversary of the holiday — at least since it was formally and federally recognized.
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Any schools that don't start classes until after Sept. 2 will obviously have Labor Day off — it will still be a part of summer vacation for them. And the vast majority of schools starting classes before then will likely have a three-day weekend, but ultimately, it's still good to check to make sure your local district, college or university does, in fact, have Labor Day off.
Labor Day became a federally recognized holiday in 1894 after a decades-long push from laborers who wanted their efforts to be observed and celebrated by the government, the U.S. Department of Labor's website states.
The first-ever Labor Day was celebrated in 1882 in New York City, and then Oregon became the first state to pass a bill recognizing it as a holiday in 1887. Other states followed suit, heeding several municipalities in them that had already recognized the holiday.
It was federally recognized as a holiday finally in 1894, with Congress passing a law that designated the first Monday in September as Labor Day. It became a federal holiday, a day when workers would have off and government operations would halt.
Now, it's seen as the symbolic end to summer as fall takes over, and many are sure to visit local beaches, throw picnics and generally celebrate the warm weather before it turns cold. And most students will be sure to enjoy a day off from school before the fall semester really ramps up.
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