Columbus Day was celebrated in the Toms River Regional Schools on Monday, not with a day off, but with a day full of history lessons. The school district has faced criticisms over canceling the day out of school for students that had been scheduled for Monday, a decision that was made to get students out of school sooner in the summer, Superintendent Michael Citta said.

The day had been scheduled as an in-service professional development day for the teaching staff; bringing students into school for the full day moves the last day of school tentatively to June 16. It had been scheduled for June 20.