State Assembly Member Charles Lavine has proposed a bill that would require schools to teach students about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
A three-page document submitted to state lawmakers on Jan. 24 details Lavine’s request.
The bill, if passed, would change the state education law to include the event of Jan. 6 as part of the instruction in patriotism, citizenship, civic education and values, our shared history of diversity, the role of religious tolerance in this country, and human rights issues that the state calls for. The law currently lists notable historic events like the inhumanity of genocide, slavery, the Holocaust, and the Irish Potato Famine.
The instruction would be required for students K-12 in the state’s public school system. The bill also calls for private schools to follow a similar curriculum. If passed before July 1, the law would go into effect for the upcoming school year.
“Not since the War of 1812, when British forces set fire to the Capitol, have the halls of power in Washington been overtaken by violent intruders as they were on Jan. 6,” Lavine said about the importance of the event. “Our students, in order to be able to protect, maintain and advance American democracy, must know what happened on that day and must be aware of those events in order to protect American democracy.”
The proposal came four days after President Donald Trump pardoned 1,500 people for the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The executive order was signed on Trump’s first day in office for his second term, as the storming of the government building occurred when his power was being shifted to the 2020 presidential election winner, Joe Biden, at the end of his first term.
Lavine issued a statement immediately following the Jan. 6 attack, stating that the date will live in “dishonor and disgrace.” His push for education on the event
“With this legislation, we ensure that it’s a day that will not be forgotten despite the efforts of our current president,” Lavine said. “Young people are looking to their teachers to help them understand both history and current events. New York’s educators have a responsibility to help our students understand what happened on that day and assist them in analyzing the legacy of that historical moment.”
Lavine recently won re-election for New York’s District 13 which represents a large portion of Nassau County. He spent 10 years on the state’s higher education committee, last doing so in 2019.
Lavine also said that there is another bill being put together that would deny those who were convicted and then pardoned for their involvement in the events of Jan. 6 the right to possess firearms in New York State. There is no official documentation for this proposal as of Jan. 30.
Multiple Nassau County residents were arrested and charged in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack.
There is no timeline as to when the bill will be passed, but Lavine said he hopes that these changes to the state Legislature can be enacted. New York has a democratic majority in both the state assembly and senate.
