Bill > S08191

This bill amends the New York State education law to require public elementary and high schools to include specific curriculum units about the Holocaust and genocide. The new provisions mandate that schools teach about the Nazi atrocities from 1933 to 1945, highlighting how six million Jewish people (including 1.5 million children) and millions of non-Jews were killed during this period. The bill emphasizes that the Holocaust serves as a universal lesson about how national, ethnic, racial, or religious hatred can lead to catastrophic consequences. Additionally, schools must include instruction about other global genocides, specifically mentioning the Armenian Genocide, Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, and more recent atrocities in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Sudan. The bill aims to educate students about these historical events as a way to promote understanding, prevent future atrocities, and demonstrate a commitment to human rights. The commissioner of education is authorized to prepare instructional materials to help schools develop these curriculum units, with each school board having the flexibility to determine the specific amount of instructional time dedicated to this topic. The new requirements will take effect on the first of July following the bill's passage into law.

Education

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8191