Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – School Observance Day – 2023

This observance day commemorates the January 15, 1929, birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King was a civil rights leader, minister, and winner of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he was assassinated April 4, 1968. The federal holiday is celebrated on the third Monday in January. (Monday, January 16, 2023) *

The Riveredge School is IN SESSION on Monday, January 16, 2022.

Wisconsin Public School Observance Days

Background

Wisconsin’s 21 special observance days are part of state statutes governing general school operations (Wis. Stat. sec. 118.02). Federal law has moved the celebration of many legal holidays to Monday, however, state law recommends that each Wisconsin Special Observance Day be held on the day itself. When an observance day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it should be observed on the preceding Friday or the following Monday.

Honoring observance days can teach the elements of tradition that preserve U.S. society and foster an awareness of our cultural heritage. Observance days can be part of a rich social studies curriculum that gives these individuals and events proper emphasis, both in the context of Wisconsin and U.S. history and in relation to their effect on or improvement of our political, economic, and social institutions.