Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0310 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED H.310
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6	6	H.310 1
7	7	Introduced by Representatives Toof of St. Albans Town, Birong of Vergennes, 2
8	8	Austin of Colchester, Black of Essex, Bosch of Clarendon, 3
9	9	Burditt of West Rutland, Burtt of Cabot, Charlton of Chester, 4
10	10	Coffin of Cavendish, Demar of Enosburgh, Dobrovich of 5
11	11	Williamstown, Emmons of Springfield, Galfetti of Barre Town, 6
12	12	Goslant of Northfield, Greer of Bennington, Hango of 7
13	13	Berkshire, Harrison of Chittenden, Harvey of Castleton, Hooper 8
14	14	of Randolph, Hooper of Burlington, Kascenska of Burke, 9
15	15	Krasnow of South Burlington, Laroche of Franklin, Luneau of 10
16	16	St. Albans City, McCoy of Poultney, Morgan, M. of Milton, 11
17	17	Morris of Springfield, Nielsen of Brandon, North of 12
18	18	Ferrisburgh, Pinsonault of Dorset, Pritchard of Pawlet, Quimby 13
19	19	of Lyndon, and Tagliavia of Corinth 14
20	20	Referred to Committee on 15
21	21	Date: 16
22	22	Subject: Education; harassment; courses of study; antisemitism awareness 17
23	23	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to (1) amend the 18
24	24	definition of harassment in Title 16 to include ethnic harassment and 19
25	25	antisemitic harassment and (2) require the Secretary of Education to develop 20
26	26	curriculum and provide trainings, teaching materials, and technical assistance 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.310
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31	31	for antisemitism awareness education in kindergarten through grade 12 1
32	32	schools. 2
33	33	An act relating to education on the evolving nature of antisemitism 3
34	34	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 4
35	35	Sec. 1. FINDINGS AND INTENT 5
36	36	(a) Intent. 6
37	37	(1) To avoid the proliferation of antisemetic curricula, professional 7
38	38	development trainings, and classroom culture in the Vermont education 8
39	39	system, it is the intent of the General Assembly that Vermont establish a 9
40	40	curriculum around the evolving nature of antisemitism and how it should be 10
41	41	taught to educators, administrators, and students. 11
42	42	(2) It is the further intent of the General Assembly that Vermont 12
43	43	establish antisemitism prevention training in Vermont schools. 13
44	44	(b) Findings. 14
45	45	(1) In 2023, according to the Anti-Defamation League, Vermont saw the 15
46	46	second-highest increase in antisemitic hate crimes per capita in the nation. 16
47	47	(2) Also according to the Anti-Defamation League, between October 7, 17
48	48	2023 and September 24, 2024, America saw a 200 percent increase in 18
49	49	antisemitic hate crimes nationwide. 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.310
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54	54	(3) According to the FBI, the United States saw 1,832 anti-Jewish hate 1
55	55	crimes in 2023, up from 1,122 in 2022. 2
56	56	(4) Vermont currently lacks curricula and training for both students and 3
57	57	educators to prevent the normalization of antisemitism in Vermont. 4
58	58	Sec. 2. 16 V.S.A. § 11 is amended to read: 5
59	59	§ 11. CLASSIFICATIONS AND DEFINITIONS 6
60	60	(a) As used in this title, unless the context otherwise clearly requires: 7
61	61	* * * 8
62	62	(26)(A) “Harassment” means an incident or incidents of verbal, written, 9
63	63	visual, or physical conduct, including any incident conducted by electronic 10
64	64	means, based on or motivated by a student’s or a student’s family member’s 11
65	65	actual or perceived race, religion, ethnicity, creed, color, national origin, 12
66	66	marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability that has the 13
67	67	purpose or effect of objectively and substantially undermining and detracting 14
68	68	from or interfering with a student’s educational performance or access to 15
69	69	school resources or creating an objectively intimidating, hostile, or offensive 16
70	70	environment. 17
71	71	(B) “Harassment” includes conduct that violates subdivision (A) of 18
72	72	this subdivision (26) and constitutes one or more of the following: 19
73	73	(i) Sexual harassment, which means conduct that includes 20
74	74	unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal, 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.310
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79	79	written, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature when one or both of the 1
80	80	following occur: 2
81	81	(I) Submission to that conduct is made either explicitly or 3
82	82	implicitly a term or condition of a student’s education. 4
83	83	(II) Submission to or rejection of such conduct by a student is 5
84	84	used as a component of the basis for decisions affecting that student. 6
85	85	(ii) Racial harassment, which means conduct directed at the 7
86	86	characteristics of a student’s or a student’s family member’s actual or 8
87	87	perceived race or color, and includes the use of epithets, stereotypes, racial 9
88	88	slurs, comments, insults, derogatory remarks, gestures, threats, graffiti, display, 10
89	89	or circulation of written or visual material, and taunts on manner of speech and 11
90	90	negative references to racial customs. 12
91	91	(iii) Ethnic harassment, which means conduct directed at the 13
92	92	characteristics of a student’s or a student’s family member’s actual or 14
93	93	perceived ethnicity, and includes the use of epithets, stereotypes, ethnic slurs, 15
94	94	comments, insults, derogatory remarks, gestures, threats, graffiti, display, or 16
95	95	circulation of written or visual material, and taunts on manner of speech and 17
96	96	negative references to ethnic customs. 18
97	97	(iv) Antisemitic harassment, which means conduct directed at the 19
98	98	characteristics of a student’s or a student’s family member’s actual or 20
99	99	perceived Jewish heritage, and includes the use of epithets, stereotypes, 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.310
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104	104	antisemitic slurs, antisemitic libel, comments, insults, derogatory remarks, 1
105	105	gestures, threats, graffiti, display, or circulation of written or visual material, 2
106	106	taunts on manner of speech, and negative references to Jewish customs or the 3
107	107	right to self-determination in the Jewish people’s ancestral and indigenous 4
108	108	homeland. 5
109	109	(v) Harassment of members of other protected categories, which 6
110	110	means conduct directed at the characteristics of a student’s or a student’s 7
111	111	family member’s actual or perceived creed, national origin, marital status, sex, 8
112	112	sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability and includes the use of 9
113	113	epithets, stereotypes, slurs, comments, insults, derogatory remarks, gestures, 10
114	114	threats, graffiti, display, or circulation of written or visual material, taunts on 11
115	115	manner of speech, and negative references to customs related to any of these 12
116	116	protected categories. 13
117	117	* * * 14
118	118	Sec. 3. 16 V.S.A. § 914 is added to read: 15
119	119	§ 914. ANTISEMITISM AWARENESS EDUCATION CURRICULUM 16
120	120	(a) The Secretary, in conjunction with Shalom Alliance of Vermont, where 17
121	121	appropriate, shall develop a sequential antisemitism awareness education 18
122	122	curriculum for elementary and secondary schools. The curriculum shall 19
123	123	include teaching about the evolution, effects, ethics, and legal consequences of 20
124	124	antisemitism in Vermont, the United States, and abroad. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.310
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129	129	(b) The Secretary shall: 1
130	130	(1) Provide for pre-service and in-service training programs for school 2
131	131	personnel on antisemitism prevention and on the forms, effects, and legal 3
132	132	consequences of antisemitism. At least one training program shall be made 4
133	133	available in electronic format. Each superintendent shall determine the 5
134	134	content, duration, and frequency of training on issues concerning antisemitism 6
135	135	education for the districts in the superintendent’s supervisory union. 7
136	136	(2) Provide teaching materials that are appropriate to the age and 8
137	137	learning ability of the students. 9
138	138	(3) Provide technical assistance to local school districts for 10
139	139	implementation of the curriculum. 11
140	140	(4) Encourage coordination of effort with existing community resources. 12
141	141	Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE 13
142	142	This act shall take effect on passage. 14