Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 1828 into law requiring Texas public schools to establish a Holocaust Remembrance Week. SB 1828 instructs the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission (THGC) to develop or approve materials for a statewide Holocaust Remembrance Week, starting in the 2019-2020 school year. At the THGC’s suggestion, the Governor’s Office has chosen the week of January 27, 2020 as the date for Remembrance Week. (International Holocaust Remembrance Day is January 27, which is the date that Auschwitz was “liberated” by Allied troops.)
School districts and educators are advised to read the bill. The THGC 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 THGC leaves it up to individual school districts on how to observe Holocaust Remembrance Week.
Education Service Center, Region 20 has partnered with the San Antonio Holocaust Museum to provide some guidance on how to approach Holocaust Remembrance Week. This session is open to Social Studies Secondary teachers.