Pa. law urges schools to teach about Holocaust

A new law in Pennsylvania “strongly encourages,” but does not require, schools to teach a Holocaust curriculum.

The law went into effect with Gov. Tom Corbett’s signature on June 26, the Jewish Exponent reported. The bill unanimously passed both houses of the state government earlier this month.

The law “encourages schools to teach their students about the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights violations by having the state develop strong curriculum options to teach these subjects, distribute these curriculum options to all school districts, train teachers to teach this subject effectively, assess schools’ use of these resources, and assure that every school district is offering these subjects to their students,” according to a statement from the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition.

“Educating our students about our world’s historic atrocities creates an understanding of the need for tolerance and an understanding of the consequences of bigotry and hate,” said Matt Handel, chairman of the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition. “We must never forget the horrors of what has happened, so that we do not allow these tragic chapters of history to be repeated.”