Bill > A02484

This bill amends the New York state education law to specifically require all public elementary and high schools to include mandatory curriculum units about the Holocaust and genocide. The legislation mandates that schools teach about the Nazi atrocities from 1933 to 1945, highlighting that six million Jewish people (including 1.5 million Jewish children) and millions of non-Jews were systematically killed during the Holocaust. The bill emphasizes that studying these events serves as a critical lesson about how national, ethnic, racial, or religious hatred can lead to catastrophic consequences. Additionally, schools must include instruction about other global genocides, such as the Armenian Genocide, the Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, and more recent atrocities in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Sudan. The bill requires schools to approach this curriculum as a commitment to preventing future genocides and recognizing ongoing human rights challenges. While the state commissioner may provide instructional guidelines and materials, individual school boards will determine the specific amount of instructional time dedicated to these units. The educational goal is to foster understanding, promote empathy, and deter indifference to human suffering by thoroughly examining these historical tragedies.

Education

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A2484