West Virginia Commission On Holocaust Education

WV TEACHERS CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES

2025 Belfer National Conference

Coming Together to Inspire Students to Ask Why

At this free, virtual conference, discover the latest practices in accurate, meaningful teaching about the Holocaust with leading historians and educators. Bring the Museum's collection into your classroom with instructional strategies and resources. These materials highlight survivor testimonies, artifacts, diaries, and historical documents to support instruction across subject areas and inspire all students to think critically about how and why the Holocaust happened.

Registration detail:

Date: June 23-25, 2025
Time: Join concise sessions (average 10 minutes)
Location: Virtual Event

Latest on Holocaust Mandate Legislation in WV

SB54 fails again, for third year

Senate Bill 54, requiring age-appropriate Holocaust instruction in WV public schools, passed the Senate unanimously on March 26th and was sent to the House of Delegates Education Committee. On April 3, the Committee heard the bill read formally and entertained public comment. However, the Committee failed to schedule it for markup and passage, effectively killing it in 2025. Committee Vice-Chair Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, took responsibility for the bill's demise.

We are already working with our supporters in the legislature to re-introduce the bill next year.

Full Text of SB54

Introduced by Sen. Michael Oliverio (R) of Monongalia and sponsored by Senators Woelfel, Hamilton, Woodrum, Bartlett, and Deeds, the final version of the bill submitted to the House is:

"In collaboration with and utilizing guidance from the West Virginia Commission on Holocaust Education established pursuant to §5-28-1 et seq. of this code, all public schools located within this state shall give age-appropriate instruction on the Holocaust, the systematic, planned annihilation of European Jews and other groups by Nazi Germany, a watershed event in the history of humanity, to be taught in a manner that leads to an investigation of human behavior, and an examination of what it means to be a responsible and respectful person: Provided, That this instruction may not be given before grade six."

Mission