The Toms River Regional School District has canceled Columbus Day. This week, the district released its first draft of the 2023-24 school year, and Christopher Columbus was cut. Next October, schools will remain open for Columbus Day, but closed for Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, winter break, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, spring break and Memorial Day.

Toms River resident Bob DiBiase, Chairman of the New Jersey Italian American Heritage Commission said the cancelation of Columbus Day by the Toms River schoolboard was an affront to all Italian Americans living in Toms River. “Ocean County is home to one of the largest Italian American populations in New Jersey,” DiBiase said. DiBiase said he was made aware of the district’s stealth cancelation while he was attending an annual Columbus Day dinner. “They voted in secrecy to do away with it,” DiBiase said. “It’s like a stake through our heart.”