PRINTER'S NO. 1611
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
1100
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY MASTRIANO, CAPPELLETTI, ARGALL, BROWN AND
HUTCHINSON, MAY 17, 2024
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MAY 17, 2024
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
further providing for Holocaust, genocide and human rights
violations instruction.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1554 of the act of March 10, 1949
(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is
amended to read:
Section 1554. Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights
Violations Instruction.--(a) (1) Beginning with school year
[2015-2016] 2025-2026, each school entity [may] shall offer
instruction in the Holocaust, genocide and human rights
violations to students. The instruction shall equate to at least
seven hours within a school year and be integrated within the
social studies and language arts courses of study required in
accordance with State Board of Education regulations.
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Instruction may also be integrated into other appropriate
courses of study.
(2) The Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations
instruction permitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall:
(i) Be age appropriate.
(ii) Be sequential in method of study.
(iii) Communicate the connection between national, ethnic,
racial or religious intolerance and the subjects described in
subsection (b).
(iv) Communicate the impact of personal responsibility,
civic engagement and societal response within the context of the
subjects described in subsection (b).
(3) School entities may utilize any appropriate public or
private materials, personnel and other resources in developing
and implementing the program of instruction permitted pursuant
to paragraph (1). The Department of Education shall distribute
information about appropriate curriculum materials to each
school entity. School entities may utilize any curriculum that
complies with the requirements of this subsection.
(b) (1) The Department of Education shall establish
curriculum guidelines no later than twelve (12) months after the
effective date of this section. The guidelines shall encourage
the inclusion of all of the following subjects where appropriate
in the instruction:
(i) The breadth of the history of the Holocaust, including
the Third Reich dictatorship, concentration camp system,
persecution of Jews and non-Jews, Jewish and non-Jewish
resistance and post-World War II trials.
(ii) The definition, history, response and actions taken in
the face of genocide, including the Holocaust and any other
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genocide perpetrated against humanity, including the Rwandan
genocide and other genocides committed in Africa, Asia and
Europe.
(iii) Human rights violations.
(iv) Anti-Semitism, racism and the abridgment of civil
rights.
(2) The Department of Education shall work in consultation
with organizations and individuals that provide educational
expertise and resources related to the Holocaust, genocide and
human rights violations to develop the curriculum guidelines.
The guidelines shall state the minimum amount of instruction
necessary to adequately educate students on the Holocaust,
genocide and human rights violations. The guidelines shall be
posted on the Department of Education's publicly accessible
Internet website.
(c) Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, the Department
of Education shall make available, to all school entities, in-
service training programs based upon the instruction provided
for under subsection (a) and the curriculum guidelines
established pursuant to subsection (b).
(d) (1) Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, each
school entity providing instruction under subsection (a) shall
provide, as part of its in-service training, programs on the
Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations for all
instructors whose teaching responsibilities include courses of
study in which instruction concerning the Holocaust, genocide
and human rights violations is integrated. A school entity may
utilize the programs made available by the Department of
Education or use other alternative programs that are consistent
with the provisions of this section.
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(2) Employes required to complete continuing professional
education under section 1205.2 shall receive credit toward the
continuing professional education requirements where the
training program provided pursuant to paragraph (1) has been
approved by the Department of Education.
(e) The Department of Education shall provide the
guidelines, in-service training and any other materials
developed in accordance with this section to any nonpublic
school within this Commonwealth upon receiving a request from
the nonpublic school.
(f) The State Board of Education shall:
(1) Conduct a study regarding the manner in which
instruction in the Holocaust, genocide and human rights
violations is offered by school entities in this Commonwealth.
In conducting the study, the State Board of Education shall
request that each school entity provide the State Board of
Education with information concerning whether the school entity
offers such instruction and the manner in which such instruction
is offered. Each school entity shall provide information to the
State Board of Education in response to a request under this
paragraph. Following the [2016-2017] 2026-2027 school year, but
not later than November 30, [2017] 2027, the State Board of
Education shall issue a report to the Governor, the Secretary of
Education, the Chairman and Minority Chairman of the Education
Committee of the Senate and the Chairman and Minority Chairman
of the Education Committee of the House of Representatives
addressing the following:
(i) The number of school entities offering instruction in
the Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations.
(ii) The number of school entities using the curriculum
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guidelines established by the Department of Education under
subsection (b).
(iii) The number of school entities using the in-service
training programs made available by the Department of Education
under subsection (c).
(iv) A description of the manner in which school entities
are offering instruction in the Holocaust, genocide and human
rights violations, including the number of hours of instruction
offered, the grade levels at which such instruction is offered
and the course within such instruction is integrated.
(v) The recommendations for improvements to the offering of
instruction in the Holocaust, genocide and human rights
violations, including recommended legislation.
(2) Adopt a regulation, pursuant to the act of June 25, 1982
(P.L.633, No.181), known as the "Regulatory Review Act," to
require school entities to offer instruction in the Holocaust,
genocide and human rights violations that is consistent with
subsections (a) and (b)[, if the study conducted by the State
Board of Education under paragraph (1) demonstrates that less
than ninety percent of the school entities are offering
instruction in the Holocaust, genocide and human rights
violations consistent with subsections (a) and (b)].
(3) Adopt rules and regulations necessary for the
implementation of this section pursuant to the "Regulatory
Review Act."
(g) [For purposes of this section, the term "school entity"
shall mean a school district, charter school, regional charter
school, cyber charter school, intermediate unit or area career
and technical school.] The following shall apply to curriculum
transparency:
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(1) Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and each school
year thereafter, a school entity shall post an Internet link or
title for every textbook used by the school entity, a course
syllabus or a written summary of the Holocaust, genocide and
human rights violations curriculum offered by the school entity
on the school entity's publicly accessible Internet website.
(2) The chief school administrator or a designee shall be
responsible for implementing the requirements under this
subsection.
(3) The requirements of this subsection shall not be
construed to require a school entity to violate the copyright,
trademark or other intellectual property right of the creator or
owner of the curriculum.
(h) As used in this section, the following words and phrases
shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Genocide." The term includes any of the following acts
committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a
national, ethnic, racial or religious group:
(1) Killing members of the group.
(2) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the
group.
(3) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life
calculated to bring about the group's physical destruction, in
whole or in part.
(4) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the
group.
(5) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another
group.
"Holocaust." The systematic, state-sponsored persecution and
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attempted annihilation of Jewish individuals and other groups by
the Nazi regime in Germany between 1933 and 1945, which resulted
in the murder of approximately six million (6,000,000) Jewish
individuals and five million (5,000,000) other individuals.
"School entity." A school district, charter school, regional
charter school, cyber charter school or intermediate unit.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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