MONTGOMERY — Alabama's State Board of Education adopted new standards for social studies at their meeting on Thursday.
Unusually, the new standards had unanimous support from citizens speaking in the public comment session and in the vote of the SBOE members. All eight SBOE members elected from districts voted yes, as did Gov. Kay Ivey, who, by law, is the SBOE chair.
The final vote followed two years of work on proposals for the standards following a 2022 proposed revision that was not adopted.
These standards are the first update in social studies in 14 years.
One distinctive part of the new standards is the expanded teaching of the Holocaust, including the slaughter of an estimated five million Jews by the Nazi regime in World War II.
The new standards include studying the Holocaust in the fifth grade, world history in the ninth grade and U.S. history in the 11th grade.
Dan Puckett, chairman of the Holocaust Commission, said at the meeting, "What you have in front of you now constitutes the strongest standards on the Holocaust in the nation."
The early Holocaust studies for fifth graders are of an introductory nature to be age-appropriate. Fuller descriptions of violence and death are not introduced until the ninth and 11th grades.
The next step in implementing the new social studies standards is the adoption of textbooks that align with the standards. A social studies textbook committee will be appointed by State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey in March 2025.
Local school systems must adopt the new social studies standards by the 2026-2027 school year.
"The lessons of the Holocaust are not just Jewish, but universal. And unfortunately, the lessons remain relevant today." – Sunni and Gary Markowitz, family of Holocaust victims.
Jim' Zig' Zeigler writes about Alabama's people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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