Maryland 2023 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB837 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0837
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 837
8	8	F1 3lr1386
9	9	CF 3lr3025
10	10	By: Senators Kramer, Brooks, Corderman, Elfreth, Gile, Griffith, Ready,
11	11	Waldstreicher, and Lewis Young
12	12	Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2023
13	13	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Education – Curriculum – Study of the Holocaust 2
20	20	(Educate to Stop the Hate Act) 3
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of requiring the State Department of Education to develop certain 4
23	23	guidelines on or before a certain date and to revise and enhance instruction about 5
24	24	the Holocaust in public schools for certain elementary, middle, and high school grade 6
25	25	levels; requiring all public schools and certain nonpublic schools to include the 7
26	26	revised and enhanced Holocaust instruction in school curricula beginning in a 8
27	27	certain school year; requiring county boards of education to dedicate Title II funds 9
28	28	for professional development related to teaching the history of the Holocaust; 10
29	29	encouraging certain nonpublic schools to include in the curriculum a unit of 11
30	30	instruction on the Holocaust; and generally relating to the study of the Holocaust in 12
31	31	school curricula. 13
32	32
33	33	BY adding to 14
34	34	Article – Education 15
35	35	Section 7–132 16
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
37	37	(2022 Replacement Volume) 18
38	38
39	39	Preamble 19
40	40
41	41	WHEREAS, The Holocaust was a historical event that resulted in the systematic, 20
42	42	state–sponsored mass murder of 6,000,000 Jews and millions of other people by Nazi 21
43	43	Germany in the name of racial purity; and 22
44	44
45	45	WHEREAS, The Holocaust was a watershed event in the course of human history, 23
46	46	not an accident in history; it occurred because individuals, organizations, and governments 24
47	47	made choices that legalized discrimination leading to prejudice, hatred, and mass murder; 25
48	48	and 26 2 SENATE BILL 837
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52	WHEREAS, Social media and technology are being used to disseminate false and 1
53	53	inaccurate information about the Holocaust; and 2
54	54
55	55	WHEREAS, Recent surveys have revealed that Americans have fundamental gaps 3
56	56	in their knowledge of Holocaust history, particularly individuals between the ages of 18 4
57	57	and 34; and 5
58	58
59	59	WHEREAS, Education is fundamental in ensuring that the Holocaust is not 6
60	60	forgotten and, therefore, repeated; and 7
61	61
62	62	WHEREAS, Holocaust education will help students understand the roots and 8
63	63	ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping; develop an awareness of the value of 9
64	64	pluralism and diversity; explore the dangers of remaining silent, apathetic, and indifferent 10
65	65	to the oppression of others; and learn how the abuse of power can lead to the 11
66	66	implementation of destructive policies resulting in government–sponsored policies ranging 12
67	67	from social engineering to genocide; and 13
68	68
69	69	WHEREAS, It is the intent of the General Assembly that the lessons of the Holocaust 14
70	70	and genocide be taught to the students of Maryland to ensure that the unique tragedy that 15
71	71	is the Holocaust as well as other genocides that have occurred throughout the world are 16
72	72	never forgotten and that individuals better understand how to prevent these types of events 17
73	73	in the future; now, therefore, 18
74	74
75	75	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL A SSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
76	76	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
77	77
78	78	Article – Education 21
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80	80	7–132. 22
81	81
82	82	(A) THIS SECTION APPLIES TO: 23
83	83
84	84	(1) ALL PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, MIDDLE SCHOOLS , AND 24
85	85	HIGH SCHOOLS ; AND 25
86	86
87	87	(2) ALL NONPUBLIC ELEMENT ARY SCHOOLS, MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND 26
88	88	HIGH SCHOOL S THAT PARTICIPATE IN STATE–FUNDED EDUCATION PRO GRAMS. 27
89	89
90	90	(B) ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2024, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL : 28
91	91
92	92	(1) DEVELOP GUIDELINES FO R INSTRUCTIONAL CONT ENT ON THE 29
93	93	HOLOCAUST THAT IS AGE –APPROPRIATE , INTERDISCIPLINARY , AND CONSISTENT 30
94	94	WITH OTHER REQUIRED GRADE LEVEL INSTRUCT ION; AND 31
95	95
96	96	(2) REVISE AND ENHANCE REQUIRED HOLOCAUST INSTRUCTION IN 32 SENATE BILL 837 3
97	97
98	98
99	99	PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL , AND HIGH SCHOOL CURR ICULA. 1
100	100
101	101	(C) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL : 2
102	102
103	103	(1) REVISE THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES FRAME WORK 3
104	104	FOR GRADE S 4 AND 5 TO INCORPORATE INSTRUCTION ADDRESSING THE 4
105	105	HOLOCAUST WITHIN THE GRADE 5 UNIT; 5
106	106
107	107	(2) REVISE THE MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES FRAMEWORK FOR 6
108	108	GRADES 6 AND 7 TO INCORPORATE A STUDY OF THE ROOTS OF ANTISEMITISM THAT 7
109	109	LED TO THE HOLOCAUST TO HELP STUDENTS CONTEX TUALIZE THE STUDY OF THE 8
110	110	HOLOCAUST IN HIGH SCHOOL ; AND 9
111	111
112	112	(3) REVISE THE HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY FRAMEWORK TO 10
113	113	STRENGTHEN THE REQUI RED HOLOCAUST INSTRUCTION IN: 11
114	114
115	115	(I) THE UNITED STATES HISTORY CURRICULUM , TO REQUIRE 12
116	116	STUDENTS TO STUDY THE AMERICAN RESPONSE TO THE HOLOCAUST BY FIRST 13
117	117	UNDERSTANDING THE OR IGINS OF THE HOLOCAUST; AND 14
118	118
119	119	(II) THE MODERN WORLD HISTORY CURRICULUM , TO REQUIRE 15
120	120	STUDENTS TO EVALUATE THE CAUSE , COURSE, AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE 16
121	121	HOLOCAUST. 17
122	122
123	123	(D) (1) BEGINNING IN THE 2024–2025 SCHOOL YEAR , ALL PUBLIC 18
124	124	SCHOOLS AND ALL NONP UBLIC SCHOOLS THAT P ARTICIPATE IN STATE–FUNDED 19
125	125	EDUCATION PROGRAMS S HALL INCLUDE THE REVISED AND ENHANCED HOLOCAUST 20
126	126	INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOL CURRICULA . 21
127	127
128	128	(2) EACH COUNTY BOARD SHALL DEDICATE A PORTION OF TITLE II 22
129	129	FUNDS FOR SUBSTANTIVE PROFESSI ONAL DEVELOPMENT ON TEACHING THE 23
130	130	HOLOCAUST. 24
131	131
132	132	(E) EACH NONPUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL , AND HIGH 25
133	133	SCHOOL THAT DOES NOT PARTIC IPATE IN STATE–FUNDED EDUCATION PRO GRAMS 26
134	134	IS ENCOURAGED TO INCLUD E IN THE CURRICULUM A UNIT OF INSTRUCTIO N ON THE 27
135	135	HOLOCAUST IN ACCORDANCE WITH GUIDELINES ADOPTED BY THE DEPARTMENT 28
136	136	UNDER SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION. 29
137	137
138	138	(F) FOR EACH FISCAL YEAR , THE GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUD E IN THE 30
139	139	ANNUAL BUDGET BILL A N APPROPRIATION OF $500,000 TO THE DEPARTMENT TO 31
140	140	IMPLEMENT THE HOLOCAUST INSTRUCTION REVISIONS AND ENHANCEMENTS 32
141	141	REQUIRED UNDER THIS SECTION. 33 4 SENATE BILL 837
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145	145	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 1
146	146	1, 2023. 2
147	147