CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Senate Education Committee approved Senate Bill 54 that would require age-appropriate instruction beginning at grade 6 on the Holocaust in public schools. The bill sponsored by Mike Oliverio, R, Monongalia, 13, will now go to the full Senate.
Craig Hart, R, Mingo, 6, approved the first portion of the legislation presenting the basics about the war and theme of the lesson. But, had issues with the second half that says in part, “in a manner that leads to an investigation of human behavior, an understanding of the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping, and an examination of what it means to be a responsible and respectful person, for the purposes of encouraging tolerance of diversity in a pluralistic society and for nurturing and protecting democratic values and institutions.”
“I love the first part of it, and I think the second part has great intent, but in today’s world I wonder if that intent will be moved and shuffled around a little bit?” Hart asked. “It gives me great pause.”
T. Kevan Bartlett R, Kanawha, 8, told committee leadership the Holocaust should absolutely be taught to students from middle school up. Because of a growing movement to deny the event, he said that makes it more important to accurately teach the facts about what happened to the Jewish people because of their religion.
“Young people need to know 6 million Jews were eradicated and killed for political purposes, and denying that is the equivalent of denying we landed on the moon,” Bartlett said.
Further, middle school is the proper place to explain what happened in an age-appropriate way.
“I believe it’s the appropriate place in secondary education to establish some specifics and the context of Europe in the middle 20th century, Bartlett said. “It was significant and the defining era of the 1900s.”
Rollan A. Roberts R, Raleigh, 9, Backed the measure and proposed an amendment that would change the second half of the wording of the bill. He added that changing the wording will give teachers more flexibility to develop lesson plans and work with students.
“So, it would read—an investigation of human behavior and an examination of what it means to be a responsible and respectful person,” Bartlett said.
Joey Garcia, D, Marion, 13, objected to the amendment offered by Roberts because he said there are too many efforts not to use words like racism and prejudice in state code.
Roberts clarified the change in language was to give the teacher a range to operate within while teaching the subject. Leaving those types of words in the bill could create the room to stray from the Holocaust subject, which is the purpose of the legislation.
“What we are doing here is micro-managing what the course is going to involve,” Roberts said. “It is already addressed in the standards of three other courses that are taught.”