Oklahoma Senate Bill to affirm Holocaust teaching in standard curriculum
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Some class agendas may look a little different than in years before.
"What's new in the curriculum this year is a renewed emphasis on Holocaust education and social studies," said John Waldron, representative for House District 77.
Legislatures passed Senate Bill 1671 to affirm Holocaust teachings in Oklahoma's standard curriculum.
"As a way to combat intolerance, discrimination, bigotry, and hate, and to remind children that the greatest generation liberated the Nazi death camps and ended the Holocaust, and we can learn real lessons from that," said Waldron.
Waldron and his constituents worry if we don't learn our history, we risk repeating it.
But House Bill 1775, also known as the Critical Race Theory Bill, put a pin in certain historic teachings.
“We don't want them to be indoctrinated. We want them to be educated. We want them to take a critical view of history of individuals in history. What we don't want to do is tell them racist teachings like the color of your skin determines who you are as an individual. You determine who you are as an individual and that's an important story for kids to understand is that they will be judged based on their actions and they need to think through their actions and history is a great story that you get to read and see how people's actions affected those around them and how they're remembered," said State Superintendent Ryan Walters.
Representative Waldron said House Bill 1775 is a scare tactic used by certain politicians to limit what teachers can and cannot teach.
"Education has been getting politicized in the last couple of years, and it's had a chilling effect on what teachers can teach. It's very important that our teachers be free to teach and that our students be free to learn, and that we not be afraid of our history, but be willing to confront it. Not just for Jewish history, or for the history of the Holocaust, but to teach subjects like the difficult history of Native Americans in this country or our African American heritage," he said.
Waldron also emphasized the point that this action is not "indoctrination".
"This is not indoctrination. This is what education is about, having conversations that change us and help us grow. If the Holocaust can help us grow in our understanding of human nature, of the dangers of hatred, and the power of the human spirit, well, I think that's an excellent lesson for us to consider."