89R5984 GP-D
By: Menéndez S.B. No. 735
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to Holocaust education and training provided to students
enrolled at public schools and public institutions of higher
education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 8, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 8.065 to read as follows:
Sec. 8.065. COLLABORATION WITH HOLOCAUST MUSEUMS. Each
regional education service center shall on a regular basis
collaborate with one or more of the Holocaust museums in this state
to expand educator training and classroom education opportunities
regarding Holocaust education.
SECTION 2. Section 29.9072, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read
as follows:
(a) In this section, "Holocaust" has the meaning assigned by
Section 448.001 [449.001], Government Code.
(d) Not later than June 1 of each school year, each school
district and open-enrollment charter school shall submit to the
agency a report regarding the Holocaust Remembrance Week
instruction offered by the district or school for that school year
under this section. The report must include the activities,
lessons, and instructional materials used for the instruction.
(e) As soon as practicable after June 1 of each school year,
the agency shall compile all reports submitted under Subsection (d)
for the school year and submit the compiled information to each
regional education service center and the Texas Holocaust,
Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission.
SECTION 3. Subchapter Z, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 29.90721 to read as follows:
Sec. 29.90721. HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE WEEK GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) In this section:
(1) "Advisory commission" means the Texas Holocaust,
Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission.
(2) "Commission" means the Texas Historical
Commission.
(3) "Holocaust" has the meaning assigned by Section
448.001, Government Code.
(b) From money appropriated for purposes of this section,
the commission, in coordination with the advisory commission, shall
establish and administer a grant program to provide grants to
school districts and museums, centers, and other relevant
organizations in this state to assist in the implementation of
Holocaust Remembrance Week instruction under Section 29.9072. The
commission may award a grant for purposes of:
(1) developing optional, age-appropriate lesson plans
for classroom teachers who lack relevant subject matter expertise
regarding the Holocaust;
(2) sponsoring student field trips to the Holocaust
museums in this state, with priority given to campuses in urban and
rural districts;
(3) providing training approved by the advisory
committee for educators and for administrators who manage
professional development and teacher training in each district;
(4) cataloging and expanding relevant audiovisual and
digital classroom resources, including resources maintained by
Holocaust museums in this state; and
(5) developing, in collaboration with museums,
bilingual curricula to meet the needs of more students in this state
and making the curricula available on the advisory commission's
Internet website.
(c) The commission, in coordination with the advisory
commission, shall adopt rules as necessary to establish and
administer the grant program under this section.
SECTION 4. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 61.0767 to read as follows:
Sec. 61.0767. EDUCATOR PREPARATION PILOT PROGRAM TO IMPROVE
DELIVERY OF HOLOCAUST EDUCATION. (a) The board shall establish a
pilot program at institutions of higher education selected by the
board to train students enrolled in an educator preparation program
to provide more effective instruction related to the history and
remembrance of the Holocaust. The board may adopt rules as
necessary to administer this section.
(b) An institution of higher education selected under this
section must have an educator preparation program approved by the
State Board for Educator Certification or be affiliated with a
program approved by the State Board for Educator Certification.
(c) At least 50 percent of the institutions of higher
education selected by the board must be located in an area or likely
to graduate educators who will teach in a public school in an area
where the applicable school district has demonstrated low
participation in Holocaust Remembrance Week instruction.
(d) The board shall collaborate with the Texas Holocaust,
Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission to establish
minimum curriculum requirements, guidelines, and procedures
necessary for the implementation of the pilot program.
(e) The board shall use any funds appropriated or otherwise
made available for purposes of the pilot program and may accept
gifts, grants, and donations to fund the pilot program.
(f) The pilot program shall operate for four full academic
years.
(g) An institution of higher education selected for the
pilot program shall annually report to the board in the manner
prescribed by the board data and information regarding the
operation of the pilot program.
(h) The report required by Subsection (g) must contain, with
respect to the preceding academic year:
(1) a description of the manner in which the selected
institution complied with the purpose of the pilot program and any
difficulties encountered in complying with that purpose, including
timelines related to implementing the pilot program;
(2) data regarding the institution's students
receiving instruction under the pilot program through an educator
preparation program;
(3) information regarding any third-party entities or
organizations the institution collaborates with to deliver
instruction under the pilot program through an educator preparation
program; and
(4) a survey of educator preparation program students
and faculty who participated in the pilot program at the
institution, including feedback regarding the results of the pilot
program and information regarding the marketability and subsequent
teaching careers of participating students.
(i) The board shall compile a biennial report based on the
data and information received under Subsection (g) regarding the
operation of the pilot program and the results of the survey of
educator preparation program students and faculty who participated
in the pilot program at each of the selected institutions during the
preceding biennium. Not later than September 1 of each
odd-numbered year, the board shall deliver a copy of the report to
the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
representatives, and the chair of each standing committee of the
legislature having primary jurisdiction over higher education.
(j) The biennial report produced by the board before
September 1, 2029, must include a recommendation regarding whether
the pilot program should be continued, expanded, or terminated.
(k) Before September 1, 2031, the board shall conduct a
final survey of educator preparation program students and faculty
who participated in the pilot program at the selected institutions
at any time during the operation of the program, including feedback
regarding the results of the pilot program and information
regarding the marketability and teaching careers of participating
students. The board shall publish the results of the survey on its
Internet website.
(l) The pilot program concludes and this section expires
December 1, 2031.
SECTION 5. Section 29.9072, Education Code, as amended by
this Act, applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
SECTION 6. As soon as practicable after the effective date
of this Act, the Texas Historical Commission, in coordination with
the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory
Commission, shall establish the grant program required by Section
29.90721, Education Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 7. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
shall select public institutions of higher education for the pilot
program required under Section 61.0767, Education Code, as added by
this Act, not later than May 1, 2026.
SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.