Assembly Bill A2484

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2484
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 17, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. STERN -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation  to  requirements  for  a
   course of instruction relating to the Holocaust and genocide
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 3 of section 801 of the  education  law,
 as  amended  by  section 27 of part A of chapter 56 of the laws of 2020,
 are amended to read as follows:
   1. In order to promote a spirit of patriotic  and  civic  service  and
 obligation  and  to foster in the children of the state moral and intel-
 lectual qualities which are essential in preparing  to  meet  the  obli-
 gations of citizenship in peace or in war, the regents of The University
 of  the  State  of  New  York  shall prescribe courses of instruction in
 patriotism, citizenship, civic education and values, our shared  history
 of diversity, the role of religious tolerance in this country, and human
 rights  issues, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity
 of genocide, slavery (including the freedom trail and underground  rail-
 road),  the  Holocaust,  and the mass starvation in Ireland from 1845 to
 1850, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION EIGHT HUNDRED ONE-B OF THIS ARTICLE, to
 be maintained and followed in all the schools of the state.  The  boards
 of  education and trustees of the several cities and school districts of
 the state shall require instruction to be given in such courses, by  the
 teachers  employed  in  the  schools  therein. All pupils attending such
 schools, over the age of eight years, shall attend  upon  such  instruc-
 tion.
   Similar  courses  of instruction shall be prescribed and maintained in
 private schools in the state, and all pupils in such schools over  eight
 years  of age shall attend upon such courses. If such courses are not so
 established and maintained in a private school, attendance upon instruc-
 tion in such school shall not  be  deemed  substantially  equivalent  to
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01461-01-5
              

 A. 2484                             2
 
 instruction  given  to  pupils  of like age in the public schools of the
 city or district in which such pupils reside.
   3.  The  regents  shall  determine the subjects to be included in such
 courses of instruction in patriotism, citizenship, civic  education  and
 values, our shared history of diversity, the role of history of diversi-
 ty,  the  role  of religious tolerance in this country, and human rights
 issues, with particular attention to the  study  of  the  inhumanity  of
 genocide,  slavery  (including  the  freedom trail and underground rail-
 road), the Holocaust, and the mass starvation in Ireland  from  1845  to
 1850,  IN  ACCORDANCE  WITH SECTION EIGHT HUNDRED ONE-B OF THIS ARTICLE,
 and in the history, meaning, significance and effect of  the  provisions
 of  the  constitution  of the United States, the amendments thereto, the
 declaration of independence, the constitution of the state of  New  York
 and the amendments thereto, and the period of instruction in each of the
 grades in such subjects. They shall adopt rules providing for attendance
 upon  such  instruction  and  for such other matters as are required for
 carrying into effect the objects  and  purposes  of  this  section.  The
 commissioner  shall  be  responsible for the enforcement of such section
 and shall cause to be inspected and  supervise  the  instruction  to  be
 given in such subjects. The commissioner may, in [his] THEIR discretion,
 cause all or a portion of the public school money to be apportioned to a
 district or city to be withheld for failure of the school authorities of
 such  district  or  city  to  provide instruction in such courses and to
 compel attendance upon such instruction, as herein prescribed, and for a
 non-compliance with the rules of the regents adopted as herein provided.
   § 2. The education law is amended by adding a  new  section  801-b  to
 read as follows:
   §  801-B.  INSTRUCTION  RELATING  TO THE HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE. EVERY
 PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL SHALL INCLUDE IN ITS CURRICULUM
 A UNIT OF INSTRUCTION STUDYING THE EVENTS OF THE NAZI ATROCITIES OF 1933
 TO 1945. THIS PERIOD IN WORLD HISTORY IS KNOWN AS THE HOLOCAUST,  DURING
 WHICH  SIX  MILLION  JEWISH  PEOPLE,  INCLUDING ONE AND ONE-HALF MILLION
 JEWISH CHILDREN, AND MILLIONS OF NON-JEWS WERE EXTERMINATED. ONE OF  THE
 UNIVERSAL  LESSONS OF THE HOLOCAUST IS THAT NATIONAL, ETHNIC, RACIAL, OR
 RELIGIOUS  HATRED CAN OVERTAKE ANY NATION OR SOCIETY, LEADING TO CALAMI-
 TOUS CONSEQUENCES. TO  REINFORCE  THAT  LESSON,  SUCH  CURRICULUM  SHALL
 INCLUDE  AN  ADDITIONAL UNIT OF INSTRUCTION STUDYING OTHER ACTS OF GENO-
 CIDE ACROSS THE GLOBE.  THIS UNIT SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED  TO,
 THE  ARMENIAN  GENOCIDE, THE FAMINE-GENOCIDE IN UKRAINE, AND MORE RECENT
 ATROCITIES IN CAMBODIA, BOSNIA, RWANDA, AND SUDAN. THE STUDYING OF  THIS
 MATERIAL  IS  A REAFFIRMATION OF THE COMMITMENT OF FREE PEOPLES FROM ALL
 NATIONS TO NEVER AGAIN  PERMIT THE OCCURRENCE OF ANOTHER HOLOCAUST AND A
 RECOGNITION THAT CRIMES OF GENOCIDE CONTINUE TO  BE  PERPETRATED  ACROSS
 THE  GLOBE  AS  THEY  HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST AND TO DETER INDIFFERENCE TO
 CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY AND HUMAN SUFFERING WHEREVER THEY MAY OCCUR. THE
 COMMISSIONER MAY  PREPARE  AND  MAKE  AVAILABLE  TO  ALL  SCHOOL  BOARDS
 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS WHICH MAY BE USED AS GUIDELINES  FOR DEVELOPMENT
 OF  A  UNIT  OF  INSTRUCTION UNDER THIS SECTION; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT
 EACH SCHOOL  BOARD SHALL ITSELF DETERMINE THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF INSTRUC-
 TION TIME WHICH SHALL QUALIFY AS A UNIT OF  INSTRUCTION  SATISFYING  THE
 REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION. THE COST FOR INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IS TO
 BE BORNE BY THE DEPARTMENT.
   §  3.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.