HB 1054 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in terms and courses of study, further providing for Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations instruction.

PRINTER'S NO.     1145

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1054
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY WEBSTER, KENYATTA, GUENST, SANCHEZ, MADDEN,
        BRENNAN, M. MACKENZIE, WAXMAN, PIELLI, PROBST, HILL-EVANS,
        HOWARD, MALAGARI, NEILSON, FREEMAN, CIRESI, SHUSTERMAN,
        GILLEN, STEELE AND SCHLOSSBERG, MARCH 26, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 26, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
 2      act relating to the public school system, including certain
 3      provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
 4      schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
 5      laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
 6      further providing for Holocaust, genocide and human rights
 7      violations instruction.
 8      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 9   hereby enacts as follows:
10      Section 1.    Section 1554(a)(1), (b), (c), (d)(1), (e), (f)(1)
11   introductory paragraph and (2) and (g) of the act of March 10,
12   1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949,
13   are amended to read:
14      Section 1554.    Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights
15   Violations Instruction.--(a)   (1)   Beginning with school year
16   [2015-2016] 2027-2028, each school entity [may] shall offer
17   instruction in the Holocaust, genocide and human rights
18   violations to students. The instruction shall be integrated
19   within the social studies and language arts courses of study
 1   required in accordance with State Board of Education
 2   regulations. Instruction may also be integrated into other
 3   appropriate courses of study.
 4      * * *
 5      (b)    (1)   The Department of Education shall establish
 6   curriculum guidelines no later than twelve (12) months after the
 7   effective date of this section. The Department of Education
 8   shall update the guidelines no later than the beginning of the
 9   2027-2028 school year. The guidelines shall encourage the
10   inclusion of all of the following subjects where appropriate in
11   the instruction:
12      (i)    The breadth of the history of the Holocaust, including
13   the Third Reich dictatorship, concentration camp system,
14   persecution of Jews and non-Jews, Jewish and non-Jewish
15   resistance and post-World War II trials.
16      (ii)    The definition, history, response and actions taken in
17   the face of genocide, including the Holocaust and any other
18   genocide perpetrated against humanity, including the Rwandan
19   genocide and other genocides committed in Australia, North
20   America, South America, Africa, Asia and Europe.
21      (iii)    Human rights violations.
22      (iv)    Anti-Semitism, racism, indigenous tribes and slavery,
23   the Jim Crow era in the United States, different forms of
24   apartheid government and the abridgment of civil rights.
25      (2)    The Department of Education shall work in consultation
26   with organizations and individuals that provide educational
27   expertise and resources related to the Holocaust, genocide and
28   human rights violations to develop the curriculum guidelines.
29   [The guidelines shall state the minimum amount of instruction
30   necessary to adequately educate students on the Holocaust,

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 1   genocide and human rights violations.]
 2      (c)    Beginning with the [2015-2016] 2027-2028 school year,
 3   the Department of Education shall make available, to all school
 4   entities, in-service training programs based upon the
 5   instruction provided for under subsection (a) and the curriculum
 6   guidelines established [pursuant to] and updated under
 7   subsection (b).
 8      (d)    (1)   Beginning with the [2015-2016] 2027-2028 school
 9   year, each school entity providing instruction under subsection
10   (a) shall provide, as part of its in-service training, programs
11   on the Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations for all
12   instructors whose teaching responsibilities include courses of
13   study in which instruction concerning the Holocaust, genocide
14   and human rights violations is integrated. A school entity may
15   utilize the programs made available by the Department of
16   Education or use other alternative programs that are consistent
17   with the provisions of this section.
18      * * *
19      [(e)    The Department of Education shall provide the
20   guidelines, in-service training and any other materials
21   developed in accordance with this section to any nonpublic
22   school within this Commonwealth upon receiving a request from
23   the nonpublic school.]
24      (f)    The State Board of Education shall:
25      (1)    Conduct a study regarding the manner in which
26   instruction in the Holocaust, genocide and human rights
27   violations is offered by school entities in this Commonwealth.
28   In conducting the study, the State Board of Education shall
29   request that each school entity provide the State Board of
30   Education with information concerning whether the school entity

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 1   offers such instruction and the manner in which such instruction
 2   is offered. Each school entity shall provide information to the
 3   State Board of Education in response to a request under this
 4   paragraph. Following the 2016-2017 and 2028-2029 school [year]
 5   years, but not later than November 30, 2017, and November 30,
 6   2029, the State Board of Education shall issue a report to the
 7   Governor, the Secretary of Education, the Chairman and Minority
 8   Chairman of the Education Committee of the Senate and the
 9   Chairman and Minority Chairman of the Education Committee of the
10   House of Representatives addressing the following:
11      * * *
12      (2)   Adopt a regulation, pursuant to the act of June 25, 1982
13   (P.L.633, No.181), known as the "Regulatory Review Act," to
14   require school entities to offer instruction in the Holocaust,
15   genocide and human rights violations that is consistent with
16   subsections (a) and (b)[, if the study conducted by the State
17   Board of Education under paragraph (1) demonstrates that less
18   than ninety percent of the school entities are offering
19   instruction in the Holocaust, genocide and human rights
20   violations consistent with subsections (a) and (b)].
21      * * *
22      (g)   [For purposes of this section, the term "school entity"
23   shall mean a school district, charter school, regional charter
24   school, cyber charter school, intermediate unit or area career
25   and technical school.] As used in this section, the following
26   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
27   subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
28      "Human rights violations."    The term includes torture or
29   cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged
30   detention without charges and trial, causing disappearance of

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1   persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those
2   persons and other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty
3   or the security of person.
4      "Nonpublic school."   As defined in section 922.1-A(b).
5      "School entity."   A school district, charter school, regional
6   charter school, cyber charter school, intermediate unit, area
7   career and technical school or nonpublic school.
8      Section 2.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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