HLS 22RS-134 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 16
BY REPRESENTATIVE HODGES
CURRICULA: Requires instruction regarding World War II and the Holocaust for high
school students and training for teachers relative to such instruction
1 AN ACT
2To enact R.S. 17:280.1 and 3996(B)(67), relative to required instruction in public schools;
3 to require public school governing authorities to provide instruction relative to World
4 War II and the Holocaust to each student in grades nine through twelve; to provide
5 for the incorporation of the instruction into an existing required course; to specify
6 requirements relative to the content of the instruction; to require training for certain
7 teachers relative to such instruction; to provide for an effective date; and to provide
8 for related matters.
9Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
10 Section 1. R.S. 17:280.1 and 3996(B)(67) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
11 §280.1. World War II and the Holocaust; required instruction; teacher training
12 A. Each public school governing authority shall provide age and grade
13 appropriate instruction regarding World War II and the Holocaust to students in
14 grades nine through twelve. Such instruction shall be incorporated into an existing
15 required course, such as American History, and include, at minimum, the following:
16 (1) The history of World War II and the Holocaust, including but not limited
17 to the Third Reich, the concentration camp system, anti-Semitism, the persecution
18 of Jews and non-Jews, Jewish and non-Jewish resistance, and the Nuremberg trials.
19 (2) The impact of personal responsibility, civic engagement, and societal
20 response in the context of World War II and the Holocaust.
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1 (3) The connection between national, ethnic, racial, and religious intolerance
2 and the subjects provided in Subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this Paragraph.
3 (4) The leading role played by the United States and the United States
4 Armed Forces, including African American soldiers, including but not limited to the
5 Tuskegee Airmen, and Asian American soldiers, in defeating the Third Reich and
6 liberating Nazi concentration camps.
7 (5) The internment of Japanese Americans in the United States during World
8 War II.
9 B. Each public school governing authority shall incorporate World War II
10 and Holocaust instruction training into the existing in-service training program or as
11 part of a professional development day for teachers whose responsibilities include
12 courses of study into which the instruction is incorporated. This training shall cover
13 the topics required by Subsection A of this Section.
14 C. In order to satisfy the requirements of this Section, each public school
15 governing authority shall make available to its schools the free curriculum from the
16 National World War II Museum in New Orleans or such other free curriculum that
17 is available from authoritative sources or postsecondary education institutions.
18 D. As used in this Section, the following terms shall have the following
19 meanings:
20 (1) "Holocaust" means the systematic state-sponsored killing of six million
21 Jewish men, women, and children and five million non-Jews by Nazi Germany and
22 its collaborators during World War II.
23 (2) "Nazi" means the byname for the National Socialist German Workers'
24 Party, a political party of the mass movement known as national socialism under
25 which its leader, Adolf Hitler, came to power in 1933 and governed by totalitarian
26 methods until 1945.
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1 (3) "United States Armed Forces" means the branches of the United States
2 military or the departments of the United States military as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101.
3 * * *
4 §3996. Charter schools; exemptions; requirements
5 * * *
6 B. Notwithstanding any state law, rule, or regulation to the contrary and
7 except as may be otherwise specifically provided for in an approved charter, a
8 charter school established and operated in accordance with the provisions of this
9 Chapter and its approved charter and the school's officers and employees shall be
10 exempt from all statutory mandates or other statutory requirements that are
11 applicable to public schools and to public school officers and employees except for
12 the following laws otherwise applicable to public schools with the same grades:
13 * * *
14 (67) Instruction and teacher training relative to World War II and the
15 Holocaust, R.S. 17:280.1.
16 * * *
17 Section 2. The legislature finds the following:
18 (A) Recent studies have shown there to be a lack of awareness when it comes
19 to historical facts about the Holocaust, its causes, and its ramifications.
20 (B) In order to provide children with an understanding of the importance of
21 the protection of human rights and the potential consequences of unchecked
22 ignorance, discrimination, and persecution, it is a matter of high priority that they be
23 educated concerning the Holocaust including but not limited to the following:
24 (1) The causes of World War II, why the United States entered the war, the
25 hardships suffered during the war, and how the war changed the world.
26 (2) The rise of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany and how that led to the
27 Holocaust.
28 (C) Sources of free curricula and instructional materials for Holocaust
29 education include but are not limited to the United States Holocaust Memorial
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1 Museum, the Pennsylvania State University Center for Holocaust and Jewish
2 Studies, Echoes and Reflections, Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance
3 Center, and the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation.
4 Section 3. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
5signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
6by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
7vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
8effective on the day following such approval.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 16 Original 2022 Regular Session Hodges
Abstract: Requires instruction on World War II and the Holocaust in grades nine through
12 and in-service training for teachers on such instruction.
Proposed law requires each public school governing authority to provide the following:
(1)Age and grade appropriate instruction regarding World War II and the Holocaust to
students in grade nine through 12, incorporated into an existing required course such
as American History. Provides specific instruction items to be included.
(2)Training for teachers whose responsibilities include courses of study into which this
instruction is incorporated.
Proposed law requires each public school governing authority to make available to its
schools the free curriculum from the National World War II Museum in New Orleans or
other sources.
Effective upon signature of governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Adds R.S. 17:280.1 and 3996(B)(67))
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