HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE WEEK

SB 1828 was passed in 2019 in acknowledgment of the Holocaust’s ongoing significance and the many recent studies that demonstrate a disturbing ignorance of the subject among Americans.

SB 1828 instructs the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission (THGAAC) to develop or approve materials for public schools for a statewide Holocaust Remembrance Week. Counseled by the Commission, the Governor’s Office selected the week of January 27th as the date for Remembrance Week. (International Holocaust Remembrance Day is January 27, which is the date that Auschwitz was “liberated” by Allied troops.)

What Is Required:

SB 1828 states that grades K through 12 students in Texas must receive Holocaust instruction during the selected week, that the THGAAC will develop or approve the resources that schools will use, and that each school district will determine which of those resources are appropriate for different student age groups. Implicitly, the legislation also permits each district to determine the appropriate length of instruction during the week. (School districts should also bear in mind that the Holocaust is included in social studies TEKS for certain classes.)

The THGAAC is not tasked with presenting a fixed curriculum that all schools must follow for Holocaust Remembrance Week. Acknowledging that Texas students are best served when educators have choices in the shaping of instruction, the THGAAC leaves it up to individual school districts to select from any of the items listed/linked on this page . The THGAAC has assembled a variety of guidelines for best practices , as well as an array of resource materials that readily align with different subject areas, intelligences, and teaching styles. In several places, the THGAAC has also included age recommendations, which in accordance with the legislation are not requirements.

For Clarification of Requirements or Help in Planning, Please Contact:

THGAAC State Coordinator of Education Dr. J.E. Wolfson at j.e.wolfson@thgaac.texas.gov

Please complete this feedback form (educators) once you have completed your Holocaust Remembrance Week activities. Please encourage your students to complete this feedback form (students) , as well. (Available after the week of Holocaust Remembrance Week)

Holocaust Remembrance Week (HRW) Survey Report

This year, we will begin to be guided by the results of the recent survey of K-12 educators about the HRW, which we have submitted to state leaders. The survey’s findings include:

• 32.2% of respondents indicated they were “very aware” of HRW,
• while more than one-third of respondents (37.2%) said they were “somewhat aware,” and
• the remaining respondents indicated they were “not aware” (30.6%).

Participation in Holocaust Remembrance week:

• Nearly a quarter of campuses (23.5%) indicated they do not participate in HRW at all.
• Approximately 3 in 4 respondents indicated that HRW lesson plans (71.8%) and audio/visual resources (77.9%) would be “very” or “extremely useful.”

Antisemitism Advisory Commission.

(b) The advisory commission, with the assistance of the agency, shall conduct a survey of school districts to review the implementation at each district of Holocaust Remembrance Week instruction under Section 29.9072.

(c) The survey must request information from at least half of the campuses in a surveyed school district regarding Holocaust Remembrance Week instruction, including:

(1) the extent to which the campus participates in Holocaust Remembrance Week;

(2) the familiarity of the educators and administrators at each campus with the materials and resources available from the advisory commission and other local institutions dedicated to Holocaust education to support instruction during Holocaust Remembrance Week; and

(3) any additional materials or resources the campus would find useful to support instruction during Holocaust Remembrance Week, including professional development for educators, lesson plans, or other classroom resources.

(d) Not later than December 1, 2024, the advisory commission shall submit to the legislature a written report that includes the survey's findings and any recommendations for legislative or other action.

(e) This section expires September 1, 2025.