State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is asking that all Arizona district and charter schools report their compliance with state law that requires students to be taught about the Holocaust and other genocides.
In 2021, the Arizona Legislature passed Rep. Alma Hernandez’s Holocaust Education bill ensuring school children would learn about the horrors of the Holocaust and the fact that more than six million people lost their lives at the hands of evil.
Hernandez’s bill, HB2241, requires that all Arizona students receive education on the Holocaust and other genocides during their K-12 education at least twice between seventh and twelfth grade.
Horne set a deadline of January 24 for the information to be sent to the Department of Education.
“During the past three months we have learned all-too-well how many people are ignorant about the realities of the Holocaust and other genocides of history,” said Horne. “We have heard about pro-Hamas and anti-American propaganda being spread in a high school student club, students being intimidated because of their ethnicity, and we have seen pro-Hamas protests on college campuses.”
“Expressions of hatred like this are unacceptable in an educational setting and a powerful way to combat this scourge is with learning,” continued Horne. “Students would not be vulnerable to antisemitic propaganda if they had received proper Holocaust instruction. I’m grateful state law exists to require instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides, and it is important to ensure that districts and charter schools are in compliance.
Text of Horne email:
Please report us by close of business on January 24th, 2024, what you are doing to implement ARS section 15–701.02 regarding instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides. Please indicate how much time is devoted to the subject and what you use for curriculum.
The Arizona Department of Education provides resources, training, and support for educators in meeting House Bill 2241 requiring students to receive instruction in the Holocaust and other genocides at least once in middle school and once in high school through our Arizona Holocaust and Genocide Education Resource webpage – https://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/holocaust-and-genocide.
This assistance is optional, but compliance with state statute is obligatory.