Bill > SB472

This bill establishes a comprehensive Holocaust and Genocide Education Grant Program to enhance educational efforts around teaching about genocide and the Holocaust in California schools serving grades 7-12. The bill requires the State Department of Education to issue a notice to local educational agencies clarifying that social science instruction should provide a foundation for understanding human rights, with particular attention to genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust. The Superintendent of Public Instruction will create a grant program that provides direct allocations to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to support Holocaust and genocide education. Grants can be used for various purposes, including purchasing instructional materials, hosting educational events, financing professional development for teachers, and supporting related educational activities. The bill includes specific definitions of "genocide" (based on the UN Convention definition) and "Holocaust" (drawing from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum description), highlighting the systematic persecution and murder of targeted groups. Additionally, the bill authorizes the department to conduct a survey on Holocaust and genocide instruction two years after issuing the initial notice. If the Commission on State Mandates determines the bill imposes state-mandated costs, local agencies will be reimbursed according to existing government code provisions.

Budget and Finance, Education

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB472