SPONSOR:

Rep. Heffernan & Rep. Longhurst & Rep. Griffith & Rep. Spiegelman & Sen. McDowell & Sen. Sturgeon & Sen. Cloutier

Reps. Baumbach, Briggs King, Dukes, Jaques, Lynn, Osienski, D. Short, Viola, K. Williams; Sens. Lockman, Paradee, Richardson, Sokola, Townsend

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

150th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 318

AS AMENDED BY

HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 1

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend Chapter 41, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 4141. Holocaust instruction.

(a)(1) Each school district and charter school serving students in 1 or more of the grades 6 through 12 shall provide instruction on the Holocaust and genocide at least 1 time in each grade.

(2) The instruction required under paragraph (a)(1) of this section may be provided through any of the following:

a. An existing course that meets State standards.

b. Curricula developed or identified by the school district or charter school.

c. Curricula developed by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

(b) The study of the Holocaust serves as a frame of reference and prepares students to learn about other genocides throughout history. The study of the Holocaust and genocide is intended to do all of the following:

(1) Examine the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and intolerance.

(2) Prepare students to be responsible citizens in a pluralistic democracy.

(3) Reaffirm the commitment of free peoples to never again permit such occurrences.

(c) Instruction required under this section must be designed to do all of the following:

(1) Prepare students to confront the immorality of the Holocaust, genocide, slavery, and other acts of mass violence and to reflect on the causes of related historical events.

(2) Develop students’ respect for cultural diversity and help students gain insight into the importance of the protection of international human rights for all people.

(3) Promote students’ understanding of how the Holocaust contributed to the need for the term “genocide” and led to international legislation that recognized genocide as a crime.

(4) Stimulate students’ reflection on the roles and responsibilities of citizens in democratic societies to combat misinformation, indifference, and discrimination through tools of resistance such as protest, reform, and celebration.

(5) Provide students with opportunities to contextualize and analyze patterns of human behavior by individuals and groups who belong in 1 or more categories, including perpetrator, collaborator, bystander, victim, and rescuer.

(6) Enable students to understand the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping.

(7) Preserve the memories of survivors of genocide and provide opportunities for students to discuss and honor survivors’ cultural legacies.

(8) Provide students with a foundation for examining the history of discrimination in this State.

(9) Explore the various mechanisms of transitional and restorative justice that help humanity move forward in the aftermath of genocide.

(d) In establishing and implementing a curriculum on the Holocaust and genocide under this section, a school district or charter school may consult with organizations that have the primary purpose of providing education about the Holocaust, including the Halina Wind Preston Holocaust Education Committee of the Jewish Federation of Delaware.

(e) School districts and charter schools shall provide in-service training required under this section within the contracted school year.

(f) (1) No later than June 20 each year, each school district and charter school shall report to the Department of Education regarding how the school district or charter school implemented the requirements under this section.

(2) The Department of Education may, with the approval of the State Board of Education, adopt regulations to implement and enforce this section.

Section 2. This Act is effective immediately and must be implemented during the 2021-2022 school year.