Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne issued a statement this week on the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, emphasizing the state's Holocaust education requirements.
The 2023 attack resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, with individuals taken hostage. Horne's statement noted that 48 hostages remain unaccounted for.
Horne connected the anniversary to Arizona's educational mandate on Holocaust instruction.
"This is a stark reminder that we as a society must never forget such evil," he said in the statement, adding his commitment to ensuring Arizona schools implement the state's Holocaust education law.
The superintendent noted his family background, explaining that his parents were Polish Jewish refugees who left Poland before the Nazi invasion. He stated that extended family members who remained were killed in the Holocaust.
“[My father] urged his extended family and friends to also leave. But it is hard for people to leave their culture and language,” he emphasized.
Arizona law requires students to receive instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides at least once in middle school and once in high school.
The Arizona Department of Education offers resources, training, and support materials on its Holocaust and Genocide Education Resource webpage to assist educators in meeting this requirement.
While participation in the department's training programs is optional, compliance with the state statute is mandatory. School districts and charter schools are required to publicly report their compliance on their State Report Cards as a measure of transparency.
