S-4828.1
SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5851
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By Senate Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Braun,
Salomon, Billig, Gildon, Hasegawa, Holy, Liias, MacEwen, McCune,
Schoesler, Short, Torres, Valdez, Van De Wege, Wagoner, Warnick, C.
Wilson, and L. Wilson)
READ FIRST TIME 02/05/24.
1 AN ACT Relating to Holocaust and genocide education in public
2 schools; amending RCW 28A.300.115; adding new sections to chapter
3 28A.230 RCW; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration
4 date.
5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
6 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.230
7 RCW to read as follows:
8 (1) April of each year is hereby designated international
9 genocide prevention and awareness month to provide space for formal
10 recognition of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide and
11 crimes against humanity.
12 (2) During the month of April, each public school shall conduct
13 or promote age-appropriate educational activities that provide
14 instruction, awareness, and understanding of the Holocaust and
15 genocide education to all students. These activities may include
16 classroom instruction, guest speaker presentations, school
17 assemblies, and other developmentally appropriate activities.
18 Sec. 2. RCW 28A.300.115 and 2019 c 85 s 1 are each amended to
19 read as follows:
p. 1 2SSB 5851
1 (1) ((Every)) (a) In addition to the requirements in section 1 of
2 this act, every public middle school, junior high school, and high
3 school is strongly encouraged to include in its curriculum
4 instruction on the events of the period in modern world history known
5 as the Holocaust((, the systemic, German state-sponsored persecution
6 and murder of Jews and other innocent victims by the Nazi regime and
7 its collaborators between the years 1933 and 1945. The instruction
8 may also include)) and other examples of genocide and crimes against
9 humanity. The studying of this material is intended to: Examine the
10 ramifications of prejudice, racism, and intolerance; prepare students
11 to be responsible citizens in a pluralistic democracy; and be a
12 reaffirmation of the commitment of free peoples never again to permit
13 such occurrences.
14 (b) Public schools are strongly encouraged to offer at least one
15 Holocaust and genocide education stand-alone elective that is
16 available to students at least once during grades six through 12.
17 (2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction, in
18 collaboration with ((an expert Washington nonprofit organization that
19 teaches the lessons of the Holocaust)) a Washington nonprofit
20 organization with expertise in teaching the lessons of the Holocaust
21 and other nonprofit organizations led by underrepresented communities
22 impacted by genocide with expertise in education of other genocides,
23 crimes against humanity, and ethnic studies in different regions of
24 the world and at various points in history, must:
25 (a) Develop best practices and guidelines for high quality
26 instruction under this section; and
27 (b) Encourage and support middle school, junior high school, and
28 high school teachers in implementing these best practices and
29 guidelines.
30 (3) Beginning September 1, 2020, middle schools, junior high
31 schools, and high schools that offer instruction as described in
32 subsection (1) of this section must follow the best practices and
33 guidelines developed under subsection (2) of this section.
34 (4)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction
35 must update and electronically publish the best practices and
36 guidelines developed under this section on an annual basis.
37 (b) The office of the superintendent of public instruction must
38 electronically publish, and update as needed, guidance on vertical
39 alignment, materials, and professional learning to support
p. 2 2SSB 5851
1 implementation of the stand-alone elective described in subsection
2 (1)(b) of this section.
3 (5) For the purposes of this section:
4 (a) "Genocide" means any of the following acts committed with
5 intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial,
6 or religious group, as such:
7 (i) Killing members of the group;
8 (ii) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the
9 group;
10 (iii) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life
11 calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in
12 part;
13 (iv) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the
14 group;
15 (v) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
16 (b) "Holocaust" means the systematic, state-sponsored persecution
17 and murder of 6,000,000 Jews, as well as millions of Roma, LGBTQ
18 identified people, political opponents, and others by the Nazi regime
19 and its allies and collaborators between the years 1933 and 1945.
20 (6) This section expires July 1, 2027.
21 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28A.230
22 RCW to read as follows:
23 (1)(a) Beginning with the 2027-28 school year, public middle
24 schools, junior high schools, and high schools shall provide
25 instruction on the following when the topics align with the social
26 studies learning standards including United States history and
27 contemporary world history:
28 (i) The events of the period in modern world history known as the
29 Holocaust; and
30 (ii) Other examples of genocide and crimes against humanity.
31 (b) The studying of the material in (a) of this subsection is
32 intended to: Examine the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and
33 intolerance; prepare students to be responsible citizens in a
34 pluralistic democracy; and be a reaffirmation of the commitment of
35 free peoples never again to permit such occurrences. This instruction
36 must follow the best practices and guidelines developed and updated
37 under subsection (2)(a) of this section.
p. 3 2SSB 5851
1 (c) Public schools are strongly encouraged to offer at least one
2 Holocaust and genocide education stand-alone elective that is
3 available to students at least once during grades six through 12.
4 (2)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction, in
5 collaboration with a Washington nonprofit organization with expertise
6 in teaching the lessons of the Holocaust and other nonprofit
7 organizations led by underrepresented communities impacted by
8 genocide with expertise in education of other genocides, crimes
9 against humanity, and ethnic studies in different regions of the
10 world and at various points in history, shall:
11 (i) Develop and annually update and electronically publish best
12 practices and guidelines for high quality instruction under this
13 section; and
14 (ii) Support middle school, junior high school, and high school
15 teachers in implementing these best practices and guidelines.
16 (b) The office of the superintendent of public instruction must
17 electronically publish, and update as needed, guidance on vertical
18 alignment, materials, and professional learning to support
19 implementation of the stand-alone elective described in subsection
20 (1)(c) of this section.
21 (3) For the purposes of this section:
22 (a) "Genocide" means any of the following acts committed with
23 intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial,
24 or religious group, as such:
25 (i) Killing members of the group;
26 (ii) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the
27 group;
28 (iii) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life
29 calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in
30 part;
31 (iv) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the
32 group;
33 (v) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
34 (b) "Holocaust" means the systematic, state-sponsored persecution
35 and murder of 6,000,000 Jews, as well as millions of Roma, LGBTQ
36 identified people, political opponents, and others by the Nazi regime
37 and its allies and collaborators between the years 1933 and 1945.
p. 4 2SSB 5851
1 NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Section 3 of this act takes effect July 1,
2 2027.
--- END ---
p. 5 2SSB 5851
Statutes affected: Original Bill: 28A.300.115
Substitute Bill: 28A.300.115
Second Substitute: 28A.300.115