Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons Act or the HEAL Act
This bill directs the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to study and report on Holocaust education efforts in states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and public elementary and secondary schools. Among other elements, the study must (1) determine whether states and LEAs require Holocaust education as part of the curriculum taught in public elementary and secondary schools, (2) identify the standards and requirements relating to Holocaust education, and (3) identify the types of instructional material used to teach students about the Holocaust.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 603 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 603
To require a study on Holocaust education efforts of States, local
educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 27, 2023
Mr. Gottheimer (for himself, Mr. McCaul, Ms. Manning, Mr. Fitzpatrick,
Mr. Peters, Mr. Nickel, Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon, Ms. Brown, Ms. Wasserman
Schultz, Ms. Titus, Mr. Moskowitz, Mr. Panetta, Ms. Stevens, Mr.
Sherman, Ms. Norton, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Trone, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms.
Ross, Mr. Ryan, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Salazar, Mr. Weber of Texas, Ms.
Tokuda, Ms. Meng, Mr. Espaillat, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Goldman of
New York, Mr. Payne, Mr. Balderson, Mr. Schneider, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. Wild,
Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms.
Schrier, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Jackson of Texas, Mr. Himes, Mr. Doggett, Ms.
Clarke of New York, Mr. Dunn of Florida, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr.
Kustoff, Mr. Phillips, Ms. Barragan, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Ferguson, Mr.
Carbajal, Mr. Kean of New Jersey, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Valadao, Ms. Tenney,
Mr. Moulton, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Soto,
Mr. Garbarino, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr.
Landsman, Mr. Lawler, and Mr. Moran) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require a study on Holocaust education efforts of States, local
educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Holocaust Education and Antisemitism
Lessons Act'' or the ``HEAL Act''.
SEC. 2. STUDY AND REPORT ON HOLOCAUST EDUCATION.
(a) Study.--Beginning not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Director of the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum (referred to in this Act as the ``Director'') shall
conduct a study on Holocaust education efforts in States, local
educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools. Such
study shall include an examination of--
(1) all States;
(2) a nationally representative sample of local educational
agencies; and
(3) a representative sample of schools within the local
educational agencies being studied.
(b) Elements.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the
Director shall--
(1) determine whether States and local educational agencies
require Holocaust education as part of the curriculum taught in
public elementary and secondary schools;
(2) identify States and local educational agencies that
have optional Holocaust education as part of the curriculum
taught in public elementary and secondary schools;
(3) identify each State's standards and local educational
agency's requirements relating to Holocaust education and
summarize the status of the implementation of such standards,
including--
(A) the existence of a centralized apparatus at the
State or local level that collects and disseminates
Holocaust education curricula and materials;
(B) the existence of Holocaust education
professional development opportunities for pre-service
and in-service teachers; and
(C) the involvement of informal educational
organizations in implementing Holocaust education,
including museums and cultural centers;
(4) determine whether public elementary and secondary
schools use the following strategies in their Holocaust
education, including through the qualitative and quantitative
analysis of such indicators as--
(A) in-class discussion;
(B) educational activities conducted outside the
classroom, including homework assignments and
experiential learning involving State and local
organizations, such as museums and cultural centers;
(C) project based learning;
(D) educational materials and activities that are
developmentally appropriate and taught through a
trauma-informed lens; and
(E) integration of lessons from the Holocaust
across the curriculum and throughout the school year;
(5) identify the types of instructional materials used to
teach students about the Holocaust, including the use of
primary source material;
(6) identify--
(A) the duration of the periods in which Holocaust
education is taught in public elementary and secondary
schools; and
(B) the comprehensiveness of the Holocaust
education curriculum taught in such schools, as
indicated by the extent to which the curriculum
addresses all elements and aspects of the Holocaust;
and
(7) identify the approaches used by such schools to assess
outcomes using traditional and nontraditional assessments,
including asessments of--
(A) students' knowledge of the Holocaust; and
(B) students' ability to identify and analyze
antisemitism, bigotry, hate, and genocide in historical
and contemporary contexts.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Following the completion of the study
under subsection (a), the Director shall prepare and submit to
Congress a report on the results of the study.
(2) Deadline for submittal.--The report under paragraph (1)
shall be submitted not later than the earlier of--
(A) 180 days after the completion of the study
under subsection (a); or
(B) three years after the date of the enactment of
this section.
(d) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', ``local
educational agency'', ``secondary school'', and ``State'' have
the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7801).
(2) Holocaust.--The term ``Holocaust'' has the meaning
given that term in section 3 of the Never Again Education Act
(Public Law 116-141; 36 U.S.C. 2301 note).
(3) Holocaust education.--The term ``Holocaust education''
means educational activities that are specifically intended--
(A) to improve students' awareness and
understanding of the Holocaust;
(B) to educate students on the lessons of the
Holocaust as a means to raise awareness about the
importance of preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry
against any group of people; and
(C) to study the history of antisemitism, its deep
historical roots, the use of conspiracy theories and
propaganda that target the Jewish people, and the
shape-shifting nature of antisemitism over time.
(4) Project based learning.--The term ``project based
learning'' means a teaching method through which students learn
by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful
projects.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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