Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblywoman ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Caputo, Assemblywoman Downey, Assemblyman Houghtaling and Assemblywoman Swain
SYNOPSIS
Requires New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education to conduct Statewide survey to assess Holocaust and genocide education in schools.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education and amending P.L.1991, c.193.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 3 of P.L.1991, c.193 (C.18A:4A-3) is amended to read as follows:
3. The commission shall have the following responsibilities and duties:
a. To provide, based upon the collective knowledge and experience of its members, assistance and advice to the public and private schools with respect to the implementation of Holocaust education and awareness programs;
b. To meet with county and local school officials and other interested public and private organizations, including service organizations, for the purpose of assisting with the planning, coordination or modification of courses of study dealing with the subject of the Holocaust;
c. To survey and catalog the extent and breadth of Holocaust and genocide education presently being incorporated into the curricula and taught in the school systems of the State, to inventory those Holocaust memorials, exhibits and resources which could be incorporated in courses of study at various locations throughout the State, and, upon request, to assist the State Department of Education and other educational agencies in the development and implementation of Holocaust and genocide education programs. In furtherance of this responsibility, the commission shall be authorized to contact and cooperate with existing Holocaust and genocide public or private nonprofit resource organizations and may act as a liaison concerning Holocaust and genocide education to members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives and the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly.
One year after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and every five years thereafter, the commission, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall conduct a Statewide survey designed to:
(1) determine if all schools in the State are providing appropriate and comprehensive Holocaust and genocide education; and
(2) examine the curriculum implemented by schools to determine if additional resources are required to improve Holocaust and genocide education;
d. To compile a roster of individual volunteers who are willing to share their knowledge and experience in classrooms, seminars and workshops on the subject of the Holocaust. These volunteers may be survivors of the Holocaust, liberators of concentration camps, scholars, clergymen, community relations professionals and other persons who, by virtue of their experience or interest, have acquired personal or academic knowledge of the Holocaust and who are willing to share that knowledge with students and teachers;
e. To coordinate events memorializing the Holocaust and to seek volunteers who are willing and able to participate in commemorative events that will enhance student awareness of the significance of the Holocaust;
f. To prepare reports for the Governor and the Legislature regarding its findings and recommendations to facilitate the inclusion of Holocaust studies and special programs memorializing the Holocaust in educational systems in the State; and
g. To advise and assist the State Capitol Joint Management Commission, established pursuant to P.L.1992, c.67 (C.52:31-34 et seq.), for the purpose of increasing public awareness of the annual observance of Kristallnacht Memorial Night in New Jersey.
(cf: P.L.1995, c.258, s.3)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Under current law, the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education is required to survey and catalog the extent and breadth of Holocaust and genocide education presently being incorporated into the curricula and taught in the school systems of the State. This bill amends the law to specify that, one year after the bill’s effective date and every five years thereafter, the commission, in consultation with the Department of Education, will conduct a Statewide survey designed to:
(1) determine if all schools in New Jersey are providing appropriate and comprehensive Holocaust and genocide education; and
(2) examine the curriculum implemented by schools to determine if additional resources are required to improve Holocaust and genocide education.