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HF336 • 2026

A bill for an act providing for education on the holocaust for students and teachers in school districts.

A bill for an act providing for education on the holocaust for students and teachers in school districts.

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
ZABNER, MOHR, YOUNG, VONDRAN, JENEARY, KURTH, CROKEN, JONES, BAGNIEWSKI, BRADLEY, WICHTENDAHL and GOSA
Last action
2025-02-24
Official status
Subcommittee recommends passage.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act providing for education on the holocaust for students and teachers in school districts.

A bill for an act providing for education on the holocaust for students and teachers in school districts.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act providing for education on the holocaust for students and teachers in school districts.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-24 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends passage.

  2. 2025-02-18 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/24/2025 12:00PM House Lounge.

  3. 2025-02-17 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Bradley, Kurth and Weldon. H.J. 341 .

  4. 2025-02-12 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Education. H.J. 301 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act providing for education on the holocaust for students and teachers in school districts.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

336

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

336

BY

ZABNER

,

MOHR

,

YOUNG

,

VONDRAN

,

JENEARY

,

KURTH

,

CROKEN

,

JONES

,

BAGNIEWSKI

,

BRADLEY

,

WICHTENDAHL

,

and

GOSA

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

providing

for

education

on

the

holocaust

for

students

1

and

teachers

in

school

districts.

2

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

3

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336

Section

1.

NEW

SECTION

.

280.36

Education

on

the

holocaust.

1

1.

The

general

assembly

finds

all

of

the

following:

2

a.

Recent

studies

have

shown

there

to

be

a

severe

lack

3

of

awareness

in

the

state

of

Iowa

regarding

historical

facts

4

about

the

holocaust

and

antisemitism,

and

the

causes

and

5

ramifications

thereof.

6

b.

Antisemitism

remains

a

persistent,

pervasive,

and

7

disturbing

problem

in

contemporary

American

society.

8

c.

In

order

to

provide

students

with

an

understanding

of

the

9

importance

of

the

protection

of

human

rights

and

the

potential

10

consequences

of

discrimination

against

and

persecution

of

11

Jewish

people,

it

is

a

matter

of

high

priority

that

students

in

12

this

state

be

educated

concerning

the

holocaust.

13

d.

Sources

of

free

curricula

and

instructional

materials

for

14

education

on

the

holocaust

include

but

are

not

limited

to

the

15

United

States

holocaust

memorial

museum;

yad

vashem:

the

world

16

holocaust

remembrance

center;

the

Illinois

holocaust

museum

and

17

education

center;

and

echoes

and

reflections,

a

partnership

of

18

the

anti-defamation

league,

yad

vashem,

and

the

university

of

19

southern

California

shoah

foundation.

20

2.

For

purposes

of

this

section,

unless

the

context

21

otherwise

requires:

22

a.

“Antisemitism”

means

the

same

as

defined

in

section

23

216F.1.

24

b.

“Holocaust”

means

the

systematic,

bureaucratic,

25

state-sponsored

persecution

and

murder

of

approximately

26

six

million

Jews

by

the

Nazi

regime

and

its

allies

and

27

collaborators.

28

c.

“Nazi”

means

the

abbreviation

for

the

national

socialist

29

German

workers’

party,

a

political

party

of

the

mass

movement

30

known

as

national

socialism

under

which

its

leader,

Adolf

31

Hitler,

came

to

power

in

1933

and

governed

by

totalitarian

32

methods

until

1945.

33

d.

“Organization”

means

one

or

more

of

the

following

34

organizations:

35

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(1)

The

United

States

holocaust

memorial

museum.

1

(2)

Yad

vashem:

the

world

holocaust

remembrance

center.

2

(3)

The

Illinois

holocaust

museum

and

education

center.

3

(4)

Echoes

and

reflections,

a

partnership

of

the

4

anti-defamation

league,

yad

vashem,

and

the

university

of

5

southern

California

shoah

foundation.

6

(5)

Any

other

entity

approved

for

education

on

the

holocaust

7

by

the

department

of

education.

8

3.

a.

No

later

than

the

school

year

beginning

July

1,

2025,

9

the

board

of

directors

of

a

school

district

shall

incorporate

10

age-appropriate

and

grade-appropriate

instruction

regarding

11

the

holocaust

for

students

in

middle

and

high

school

into

the

12

school

district’s

educational

program.

Such

instruction

shall

13

be

incorporated

into

existing

required

courses

and

include,

at

14

minimum,

the

following:

15

(1)

The

causes

and

ramifications

of

the

holocaust.

16

(2)

The

breadth

of

the

history

of

antisemitism

and

17

the

holocaust,

including

the

third

reich

dictatorship,

18

concentration

camp

system,

persecution

of

Jews

and

non-Jews,

19

Jewish

and

non-Jewish

resistance,

and

post-World

War

II

trials.

20

(3)

The

impact

of

personal

responsibility,

civic

21

engagement,

and

societal

response

in

the

context

of

the

22

holocaust.

23

(4)

The

connection

between

national,

ethnic,

racial,

24

or

religious

intolerance

and

the

subjects

described

in

25

subparagraphs

(1)

and

(2).

26

(5)

The

leading

role

played

by

the

United

States

and

27

the

United

States

armed

forces,

including

African

American

28

soldiers,

including

but

not

limited

to

the

Tuskegee

airmen,

29

as

well

as

Native

American

and

Asian

American

soldiers,

in

30

defeating

the

third

reich

and

its

allies

and

liberating

Nazi

31

concentration

camps.

32

(6)

The

definition,

history,

and

actions

taken

in

the

face

33

of

the

holocaust.

34

b.

School

districts

shall

utilize

appropriate

public

or

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private

materials,

personnel,

and

other

resources

in

developing

1

and

implementing

education

on

the

holocaust

in

accordance

with

2

this

section.

3

4.

No

later

than

the

school

year

beginning

July

1,

2025,

4

the

board

of

directors

of

a

school

district

shall

incorporate

5

education

on

the

holocaust

for

teachers

into

the

district

6

professional

development

plan

developed

pursuant

to

section

7

284.6

for

teachers

who

provide

instruction

in

courses

into

8

which

student

instruction

in

accordance

with

subsection

3

is

9

incorporated.

Such

training

shall

cover

the

topics

required

10

by

subsection

3.

School

districts

shall

utilize

appropriate

11

programs

provided

by

an

organization

for

such

training.

12

Education

on

the

holocaust

provided

to

teachers

in

accordance

13

with

this

section

shall

be

credited

toward

a

teacher’s

14

individual

professional

development

plan

under

section

284.6.

15

5.

Annually

by

October

1,

the

department

of

education

16

shall

submit

a

report

to

the

governor

and

the

general

assembly

17

addressing

the

number

of

school

districts

offering

education

18

on

the

holocaust

to

students

and

teachers

in

accordance

with

19

this

section.

The

department

shall

publish

the

report

on

the

20

department’s

internet

site.

21

6.

This

section

shall

not

be

construed

to

diminish

or

22

infringe

upon

any

right

protected

under

the

Constitution

of

23

the

State

of

Iowa

or

the

first

amendment

to

the

Constitution

24

of

the

United

States.

This

section

shall

not

be

construed

to

25

conflict

with

any

local,

state,

or

federal

law

relating

to

26

discrimination.

27

Sec.

2.

STATE

MANDATE

FUNDING

SPECIFIED.

In

accordance

28

with

section

25B.2,

subsection

3,

the

state

cost

of

requiring

29

compliance

with

any

state

mandate

included

in

this

Act

shall

30

be

paid

by

a

school

district

from

state

school

foundation

aid

31

received

by

the

school

district

under

section

257.16.

This

32

specification

of

the

payment

of

the

state

cost

shall

be

deemed

33

to

meet

all

of

the

state

funding-related

requirements

of

34

section

25B.2,

subsection

3,

and

no

additional

state

funding

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shall

be

necessary

for

the

full

implementation

of

this

Act

1

by

and

enforcement

of

this

Act

against

all

affected

school

2

districts.

3

EXPLANATION

4

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

5

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

6

This

bill

requires

each

school

board

to

incorporate

7

age-appropriate

and

grade-appropriate

instruction

regarding

8

the

holocaust

for

students

in

middle

and

high

school

into

the

9

school

district’s

educational

program.

Such

instruction

shall

10

be

incorporated

into

existing

required

courses.

The

bill

11

specifies

the

content

of

such

instruction.

School

districts

12

shall

utilize

appropriate

public

or

private

materials,

13

personnel,

and

other

resources

in

developing

and

implementing

14

education

on

the

holocaust.

15

The

bill

requires

each

school

board

to

incorporate

education

16

on

the

holocaust

for

teachers

into

the

school

district

17

professional

development

plan

for

teachers

who

provide

18

instruction

in

courses

into

which

student

instruction

in

19

accordance

with

the

bill

is

incorporated.

Such

training

shall

20

cover

the

topics

specified

by

the

bill.

School

districts

shall

21

utilize

appropriate

programs

provided

by

an

organization,

as

22

specified

in

the

bill,

for

such

training.

Education

on

the

23

holocaust

provided

to

teachers

shall

be

credited

toward

a

24

teacher’s

individual

professional

development

plan.

25

A

school

board

shall

carry

out

the

requirements

for

26

education

on

the

holocaust

for

students

and

teachers

no

later

27

than

the

school

year

beginning

July

1,

2025.

28

The

bill

requires

the

department

of

education

to

submit

29

an

annual

report

to

the

governor

and

the

general

assembly

30

addressing

the

number

of

school

districts

offering

education

31

on

the

holocaust

to

students

and

teachers

in

accordance

with

32

the

bill.

33

The

bill

shall

not

be

construed

to

diminish

or

infringe

upon

34

any

right

protected

under

the

Constitution

of

the

State

of

35

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Iowa

or

the

first

amendment

to

the

Constitution

of

the

United

1

States.

The

bill

shall

not

be

construed

to

conflict

with

any

2

local,

state,

or

federal

law

relating

to

discrimination.

3

The

bill

may

include

a

state

mandate

as

defined

in

Code

4

section

25B.3.

The

bill

requires

that

the

state

cost

of

5

any

state

mandate

included

in

the

bill

be

paid

by

a

school

6

district

from

state

school

foundation

aid

received

by

the

7

school

district

under

Code

section

257.16.

The

specification

8

is

deemed

to

constitute

state

compliance

with

any

state

mandate

9

funding-related

requirements

of

Code

section

25B.2.

The

10

inclusion

of

this

specification

is

intended

to

reinstate

the

11

requirement

of

political

subdivisions

to

comply

with

any

state

12

mandates

included

in

the

bill.

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