Existing law requires the State Department of Education to include age-appropriate materials on genocide and the Holocaust in educational resources for teachers, aligned with history and social science standards. The law encourages the use of oral testimonies from survivors, rescuers, liberators, and witnesses in teaching about these topics. Additionally, a state program, the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education, offers professional development for educators to ensure that this education is interdisciplinary and suitable for different grade levels.
SB 472 requires the Department of Education to issue a notice to all local education agencies serving pupils in grades 7 to 12 that clarifies that social science instruction that includes genocide and the Holocaust is designed to provide a foundation for the understanding of human rights issues with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocides, slavery, and the Holocaust. The bill identifies specific information that must be included in the notice.
SB 472 also requires that the Superintendent of Public Instruction create the Holocaust and Genocide Education Grant Program. This program shall allocate funds directly to school districts, county offices, and charter schools to support Holocaust and genocide education and professional development. A fund in the State Treasury would finance this program.
(SB 472 adds Section 51221.2 to the Education Code.)