POLL: Should We Celebrate Columbus Day?

“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...” but that doesn't get most California workers or students the day off.

Today, in Glendora Unified School District, teachers and staff continue to work, and campuses remain open. Glendora students get the day off, but only in observance of the school’s student-free day.

Like most schools in California, Glendora Unified does not observe Columbus Day.

While federal offices, banks and post offices are closed, some states – including California –  do not consider Columbus Day a public holiday.

In 2009, former governor Arnold Shwarzenegger removed Columbus Day as a paid holiday for government workers in an effort to shave off some of the state’s overwhelming debt.

While history says Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, some teachers have struggled to teach students about Columbus’ discovery while also discussing his treatment of Native Americans, and the disease and forced labor that contributed to many tribes’ decimation.

In Berkeley, Indigenous People’s Day is observed in honor of the Native American tribes who suffered under the hands of explorers and settlers who came in the centuries after Columbus’ arrival.

But many other states continue to honor the Italian explorer’s legacy. In New York, thousands line Fifth Avenue for a Columbus Day parade.

Weigh in -- should we honor Columbus' legacy with a holiday?