HB 91 - Holocaust Education Act of 2020

• Charter schools and private schools participating in scholarship programs must require instructional personnel to teach Holocaust history and related topics specified in state standards.

• Public school instructional staff must teach the Holocaust (1933-1945) as a watershed event, including its definition as the systematic annihilation of European Jews and other groups by Nazi Germany.

• Holocaust instruction must emphasize personal responsibility to combat racism and hatred, prepare students to understand the immorality of the Holocaust, and examine the concept of genocide and international legislation that resulted.

• Department of Education shall develop academic content standards for a Holocaust curriculum in consultation with a state-based Holocaust education organization and maintain a roster of volunteers (including survivors and scholars) to assist classroom instruction.

• Department must coordinate with school districts to appoint a Holocaust curriculum coordinator for each district, with smaller districts potentially sharing regional coordinators; act takes effect July 1, 2020.