Martin Luther King Jr.~Day off or not?

What do you think? Should all schools around Michigan/USA be closed to honor Martin Luther King Jr.? Well, I was reading the Saginaw News on 1/21 & 1/23 discussing the issue as to whether or not schools or universities will take part in closing for the day to honor MLK. The issue seems to be whether or not to close or stay open in order not to lose a day of instruction. For my opinion, it depends on the district and what they believe. I remember growing up and graduating from a Saginaw Public School and never receiving that day off. But, when I worked in Detroit, we did actually have the day off to remember and honor MLK. Being in Detroit is a lot different than growing up in Saginaw about this holiday. Teachers within my school not only read and taught about what MLK did for our country, but we also focused on other African Americans and what they did for our country during Black History Month. Since I do teach Hearing Impaired, it was vital for my students to clearly understand why we talk about these famous people and what they did for our country. They have no idea about these specific people until we teach it to them. I showed movies, read books, and completed activities relating to these special people. I believe that all schools should partake in these activities and focus on the people that changed our country (no matter if they are African-American or White). Being in Saginaw School District, we do participate in honoring MLK and having the day off. My students that I have (four 1st graders & two 3rd graders), really do not understand why we have these days off (including 1/2 day for Veteran's Day, Labor Day, or Memorial Day). Therefore, it is my understanding that as a teacher of the Deaf/HH, I need to teach these concepts to my students in order to fully comprehend these holidays and all involved in each. They have a hard time understanding St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas, and other holidays as well. I read a lot of books pertaining to all holidays and relate my vocabulary/spelling words for them to really understand why we have these holidays and why we celebrate them. For MLK, I am teaching the concept of everything he has done for our country and why we celebrate this holiday on his honor. I show real pictures of people in parades, his life time line, and many-many activities relating to him. Sure, hearing students may understand the basic concept of all of these holidays, but do they truly understand the meaning behind them? Maybe not. But, I believe it is up to the teacher on now much in depth they would like to discuss each holiday and what kinds of activities they would like to complete. I do not feel it takes away from any instruction time, because I teach the concept of each holiday prior and after it takes place. Now that MLK day is over, I am still teaching the concepts involved and they are still working on their spelling words. I want them to be able to tell me what he has done and what this holiday means to them whenever I ask them after the lesson or at the end of the year. Doing this will allow me to see if my students grasped the full concept and really understand why we celebrate holidays and what it means to them. Then, I will know if I did an excellent job teaching them or if I need to reassess these issues in the future. Let me know your thoughts on MLK or any other holiday that you take part of.