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Maryland hearing draws wide testimony on bill to add Palestinian history to school curriculum and name anti‑Palestinian bias
Summary
Witnesses at the Ways and Means Committee urged favorably reporting HB 12 02, a bill that would require the State Department of Education to develop nonpartisan curriculum materials on Palestinian history and explicitly include anti‑Palestinian bias in anti‑bullying policies; testimony included accounts of local hate incidents and curricular omissions.
Delegate Gabriel Acevedo asked the Ways and Means Committee on behalf of HB 12 02 to require the State Board of Education and MSDE to develop factual, age‑appropriate curriculum materials on the history and culture of Palestine and to update anti‑bullying frameworks to cover anti‑Palestinian conduct. "This bill is about inclusion, historical understanding, and respect for human dignity," Acevedo said.
Supporters — including students, parents, civil‑rights groups and Jewish and Palestinian community organizations — described recent incidents they said showed the need for clearer curriculum guidance and stronger protections in schools. Zainab Choudhary of CAIR‑Maryland said staff and students had encountered anti‑Palestinian slurs and that, in…
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