It’s a real puzzle. The pending revision to Kentucky’s public school social studies standards acknowledges on Page 8 that:

“…all public middle and high school’s curriculum shall include instruction on the Holocaust and other cases of genocide….”

That’s a legal requirement right out of Section 1, Paragraph (1) (a) (3) in House Bill 128 from the 2018 Kentucky Regular Legislative Session.

But, the puzzle is, WHEN will this material actually be covered in Kentucky’s schools?

You see, the pending social studies standards never say anything more about the Holocaust, never identifying the grade(s) where this material will be covered and how it should be sequenced with other material so it makes sense.

That leaves everyone, including teachers who have to come up with curriculum that covers this, guessing. And, that is an open door to a very non-standardized treatment for this important topic across Kentucky. Haphazard coverage of the Holocaust would please certain radical groups all around the world, but it just isn’t right.

This vague situation also leaves our teachers guessing about when a question about the Holocaust might appear on state tests. Likewise, it leaves whoever develops the tests in a similar dilemma. When can test creators ask a Holocaust question?

This isn’t the way real education standards work. Real standards are far more specific and clearer.

Our kids deserve more than a by guess and by golly approach to their instruction in social studies, the Holocaust most definitely included.

And, heads up, Representatives J. Carney, M. Marzian, K. Fleming , M. Hart, and J. Tipton, because HB-128 is your bill that is getting this treatment in the standards. Is that what you want?

If you agree that our kids deserve better social studies standards, now is the time to act, because the pending social studies standards are currently in a public comment period. To learn how to do this, click the “Read more” link.

The public comment period for the regulation that incorporates the new social studies standards by reference, 704 KAR 8:060, Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies, has started and is scheduled to run through the end of March. Here is where you can send your comments on the regulation and the standards it will incorporate:

Via E-Mail: Deanna.Durrett@education.ky.gov

By post:

Deanna Durrett, General Legal Counsel

Kentucky Department of Education300 Sower Blvd., 5th Floor

Frankfort, KY 40601.Because all public comments must be considered by the Kentucky Board of Education, you might also want to address them, as well. The board’s joint mailing address is:

Kentucky Board of Education

c/o Kentucky Department of Education501 Mero Street

Frankfort, KY 40601

Individual board member e-mail addresses are found here.

If you want more information about these very weak social studies standards, here is a comment paper with a lot of information.

You can see the actual social studies standards as approved by the Kentucky Board of Education early this month by clicking here.

Also, we have a growing series of blogs for you about this problematic set of standards. Find those by entering the term “Social Studies” in our search feature at the top right of the blog page and click the “Search” button.