Ohio Governor signs Diwali holiday law introduced by Sen. Antani  

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Ohio State Senator Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) announced December 26, 2024, a law that will give all Hindu students in Ohio a holiday for Diwali and 2 other Hindu holidays per school year. His announcement follows Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signing the bills introduced by Antani and shepherded by him through the two state houses.

Parents however, will need to send the principal of the school a signed letter informing them of the religious holidays the student will be taking off. The signed letter must be sent to the principal within 14 days of the 1st day of the school year. The principal must approve the days off.

Senator Antani is the 1st Hindu American State Senator in Ohio history and the youngest Hindu American state or federal elected official in the nation.

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He co-sponsored HB 214, which has been passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor. It will be in effect for next school year starting in 2025. The bill requires all K-12 schools in Ohio to give school off for students for 3 religious holidays a year. The bill requires schools to not penalize students academically for taking the religious holiday off school, and requires schools to provide reasonable alternatives for any exams missed.

The bill requires schools to allow students to participate in sports and extracurricular activities even if they are using a religious expression day to take school off. A student taking a religious expression day as a holiday will not be considered absent.

“Because of this law that I co-sponsored, every Hindu student in Ohio will be able to take school off as a holiday for Diwali beginning in 2025 and then for the rest of history,” Sen. Antani is quoted saying in a press release from his office. “This is an incredible victory for Hindus in Ohio.”

It makes Ohio the first state as a whole to give Diwali as a day off for students. Recently, Broward County in Florida made October 20, a holiday for public school students.

“As well, our law surpasses any other school district in the nation so far as it also allows 2 other religious holidays to be taken. That means a Gujarati Hindu student can take a day off for Navaratri or Annakut, a BAPS devotee can take off for Pramukh Swami Maharaj Jayanti, a Swaminaryan devotee can take off for Hari Jayanti, a Telegu Hindu student can take Ugadi off, a Tamil Hindu student can take Pongal off, a Bengali Hindu student can take Durga Puja off, a Punjabi Hindu student can take Lohri off, an ISCKON devotee can take Krishna Janmashtami off, and more,” Antani noted.

He said that he remembered how as a kid celebrating Navarati on weeknights and not being able to stay for dandiya at the end of the night. “This will no longer be a problem for any Hindu kid in Ohio henceforth,” he said.

The Hindu American Foundation, a leading advocacy organization, congratulated Antani on the achievement.

“Ohio is setting an example for the rest of the country on how schools can ensure all students can practice their faiths fully without the fear of negative academic consequences. The Hindu American Foundation applauds Senator Antani and the interfaith community of Ohio for their leadership on this important initiative,” Samir Kalra, Esq., HAF Managing Director  n said.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce has recognized Diwali as October 20 and October 21 for 2025.

Other advocacy organizations also commended Sen. Antani for his efforts and lauded Ohio’s laws making the holidays possible. They included leaders of the Coalition of Hindus of North America-Cleveland Chapter; HinduACTion which noted that 120,000 Hindus across Ohio could not avail of the holidays; and  Vishva Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), which noted it was a step that other states could emulate.

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