August 21, 2020
A request from the president of Universal Society of Hinduism to make Diwali a school holiday in Butler Elementary School District 53 won’t be possible, said Superintend Paul O’Malley.
The request to add Diwali, the festival of lights, to the school calendar as a holiday, starting in November 2021, came from Rajan Zed, who said in a statement that doing so would be “a step in the positive direction” in light of there being a substantial number of Hindu students in Oak Brook. Zed said it’s important to meet the religious and spiritual needs of those students.