Casimir Pulaski

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Pulaski Day just isn't what it used to be.

Casimir Pulaski -- born Kazimierz Pulaski, March 4, 1747 -- was a decorated general in the Revolutionary War. He is noted as the Father of the American Cavalry and scored numerous victories against advancing British forces in the South. He was killed at the Siege of Savanna in 1779.
In 1977, the Illinois General Assembly created Pulaski Day, the first Monday of March to correspond with his birth, as a state holiday. A federal holiday, Gen. Pulaski Memorial Day, held every year on Oct. 11, commemorates the anniversary of his death.

Like other state and federal holidays, school districts take the first Monday in March off for Pulaski Day, unless they receive a waiver. School districts have been doing that at an increasing rate, and this school year about 60 percent of Illinois districts will be in class on Pulaski Day.

In the Elgin area, most schools are in session today. Elgin District U46 school students were off Friday because of an institute day for teachers.

Opting out

School officials offer many reasons for holding school on Pulaski Day. Some superintendents said the holiday lines up with the beginning of Illinois Standards Achievement Test preparations, so every day in class is important.

Others said the extra day off can be used at a better time. Some area school districts opt to take that extra day off on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, giving students and faculty an extra day if they need to travel.

Teaching Pulaski

Much like when a district holds classes on Veterans Day, the State Board of Education requires a school's curriculum to address Pulaski to compensate for being in class. While districts do not necessarily have Pulaski education on the first Monday of March, all have him in the American history curriculum at some point.

Not every district seeks the waiver. According to state records, 40 percent of districts still are taking the day off this school year.

Polish history lacking?

Retired University of Illinois-Chicago professor John Kulczycki wasn't surprised to hear about the statistics. Having taught Eastern European History for more than two decades, he said there is a general idea in education that Polish history is somehow less significant.

"(American history) is so naturally focused on countries like England and France ... countries that are perceived to be part of the West," he said. He called the lack of knowledge about Polish and other Eastern European countries "pretty terrible."

He did not necessarily disagree with the idea of being in class on Pulaski Day -- so long as the children are properly educated about Pulaski and the effect of Polish immigrants in America. This history, he said, is often dismissed.

"If a school decided to hold class on Martin Luther King Day, it would automatically be branded as racist," he said.

Reflecting the people

Holidays such as St. Patrick's Day, Columbus Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorate the person, but it also is equally about recognizing their respective cultures, Kulczycki said. This is even more true with Pulaski Day, because he never left the colonial states and has no connection whatsoever with Illinois. Kulczycki said the holiday is an act of recognition for the state's huge Polish population.

Some might be disappointed that it gets less recognition than the others, he said.

"I'm sure they are," he said. "It is a sign of how marginalized these communities can be that ... schools are deciding not to recognize it."

Casimir Pulaski Day is a holiday observed in Illinois on the first Monday of every March to commemorate Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War cavalry officer born March 4, 1747 in Poland as Kazimierz Pułaski. He was a Polish soldier. He is known for his contributions to the US military at the time by training its soldiers and cavalry. The day is celebrated mainly in areas that have large Polish populations. This is a separate holiday from the federal holiday, General Pulaski Memorial Day, which commemorates Pulaski's death at the Siege of Savannah on October 11, 1779.