A 6557: Establishes October 7th as October 7th remembrance day to honor the victims of the October 7, 2023 attacks; declares October seventh as a holiday for students in the public schools of the city of New York; requires the chancellor of the New York city school district to provide instruction of awareness of the October seventh remembrance day to students and professional development training to teachers; requires the division of human rights to establish a statewide campaign for antisemitism prevention; makes related provisions.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6557 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 6, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. E. BROWN, CHANG -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing "October 7th remembrance day" and a statewide campaign for antisemitism prevention; and to amend the education law, in relation to requiring instruction in New York city public schools on the events of October 7, 2023, and the Holocaust The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "October 7th remembrance and education act of 2025". 3 § 2. Legislative findings and declarations. It is customary for the 4 legislature to recognize significant events that have deeply affected 5 the citizens of New York state and to establish official days of remem- 6 brance to increase awareness and honor the victims of such events. 7 From 1933 to 1945, six million Jews, along with millions of others, 8 fell victim to the systematic genocide perpetrated by the Nazi regime, 9 an atrocity that became known as the Holocaust. The Holocaust remains 10 one of the most horrific and tragic chapters in human history, and its 11 lessons must be remembered and taught to future generations to ensure 12 that such hate and violence is never repeated. 13 October 7th, 2023, marked a dark and murderous day for the Jewish 14 people, as violent acts of hatred, culminating in the brutal massacre of 15 innocent civilians, devastated the Jewish community on one of their most 16 joyous days, the last day of Sukkot, known in Hebrew as Simchat Torah. 17 The events of October 7th, 2023, remind us of the continuing threat of 18 antisemitism and the need for collective action against hate, bigotry, 19 and violence in all its forms. 20 In response to the tragic and appalling violence against the Jewish 21 community in New York city, it is imperative that we honor the victims 22 and survivors of the October 7th, 2023, attacks, and that we ensure EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07152-01-5 
 A. 6557 2 1 future generations understand the importance of fighting antisemitism, 2 intolerance, and hate wherever they are found. 3 The tragic loss of life and the resulting trauma felt by the Jewish 4 community in New York city, and throughout the world, serves as a stark 5 reminder of the dangers of hatred and the necessity of education to 6 combat prejudice and violence. 7 § 3. Subdivision 3 of section 168-a of the executive law, as amended 8 by chapter 542 of the laws of 2024, is amended to read as follows: 9 3. The following days shall be days of commemoration in each year: 10 January sixth, to be known as "Haym Salomon Day", January twenty-sev- 11 enth, to be known as "Holocaust Remembrance Day", February fourth, to be 12 known as "Rosa Parks Day", February fifteenth, to be known as "Susan B. 13 Anthony Day", February sixteenth, to be known as "Lithuanian Independ- 14 ence Day", February twenty-eighth, to be known as "Gulf War Veterans' 15 Day", March fourth, to be known as "Pulaski Day", March eighth, to be 16 known as "International Women's Day", March tenth, to be known as 17 "Harriet Tubman Day", March twenty-ninth, to be known as "Vietnam Veter- 18 ans' Day", April ninth, to be known as "POW Recognition Day", April 19 twenty-seventh, to be known as "Coretta Scott King Day", April twenty- 20 eighth, to be known as "Workers' Memorial Day", the first Tuesday in May 21 to be known as "New York State Teacher Day", May seventeenth, to be 22 known as "Thurgood Marshall Day", the first Sunday in June, to be known 23 as "Children's Day", June second, to be known as "Italian Independence 24 Day", June twelfth, to be known as "Women Veterans Recognition Day", 25 June nineteenth, to be known as "Juneteenth Freedom Day", June twenty- 26 fifth, to be known as "Korean War Veterans' Day", the second Monday in 27 July, to be known as "Abolition Commemoration Day", August twenty- 28 fourth, to be known as "Ukrainian Independence Day", August twenty- 29 sixth, to be known as "Women's Equality Day", September eleventh, to be 30 known as "Battle of Plattsburgh Day" and also to be known as "September 31 11th Remembrance Day", September thirteenth, to be known as "John Barry 32 Day" and also to be known as "Uncle Sam Day in the State of New York", 33 September seventeenth, to be known as "Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben 34 Memorial Day", the third Friday in September to be known as "New York 35 State POW/MIA Recognition Day" except if such date of commemoration 36 cannot be observed due to a religious holiday, such observances shall 37 then be conducted on the second Friday of September, the last Saturday 38 in September, to be known as "War of 1812 Day", the fourth Saturday of 39 September, known as "Native-American Day", the last Sunday in September, 40 to be known as "Gold Star Mothers' Day", October fifth, to be known as 41 "Raoul Wallenberg Day", October seventh, to be known as "October Seventh 42 Remembrance Day", October eleventh, to be known as "New Netherland Day 43 in the State of New York", October eighteenth, to be known as "Disabili- 44 ties History Day", October twenty-seventh, to be known as "Theodore 45 Roosevelt Day", November ninth, to be known as "Witness for Tolerance 46 Day", November twelfth, to be known as "Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day", the 47 third Tuesday in November to be known as "New York State School-Related 48 Professionals Recognition Day", November twenty-sixth, to be known as 49 "Sojourner Truth Day", November thirtieth, to be known as "Shirley 50 Chisholm Day", December third, to be known as "International Day of 51 Persons with Disabilities", December seventh, to be known as "Pearl 52 Harbor Day", December sixteenth, to be known as "Bastogne Day" and that 53 day of the Asian lunar calendar designated as new year to be known as 54 "Asian New Year". 55 § 4. The education law is amended by adding a new section 2586-b to 56 read as follows: 
 A. 6557 3 1 § 2586-b. October seventh remembrance day as a holiday for students in 2 the public schools of the city of New York. The seventh day of October 3 in each year, known as October seventh remembrance day, is hereby made 4 and declared to be a holiday for students in all the public schools in 5 the city school district in the city of New York and students shall not 6 be required to attend the public schools on such day. If such day falls 7 on a Sunday, students shall not be required to attend public schools on 8 the Monday thereafter. 9 § 5. Subdivision 2-a of section 3635 of the education law, as sepa- 10 rately amended by chapters 359 and 629 of the laws of 2023, is amended 11 to read as follows: 12 2-a. The superintendent of each city school district, in a city having 13 a population in excess of one million, shall prepare a public school 14 calendar and shall notify officials of nonpublic schools to which trans- 15 portation has been requested not later than the first day of June in 16 each year, of the days on which the public schools will be in session in 17 the following school year. Such school district which provides transpor- 18 tation to nonpublic schools shall provide such transportation for the 19 same number of days as the public schools are open but shall not provide 20 transportation services for more than one hundred eighty days. Offi- 21 cials of each nonpublic school to which transportation is provided by a 22 city school district of a city having a population in excess of one 23 million may notify such district, not later than the first day of July 24 of each school year, of a maximum of five days, exclusive of Saturdays, 25 Sundays or legal holidays upon which public schools are required to be 26 closed, on which the public schools are scheduled to be closed, except 27 that in any year in which the first or last day of Passover and Easter 28 Sunday are separated by more than seven days, such officials may notify 29 the district of a maximum of ten days, but such school district will be 30 required to provide for transportation to such nonpublic school provided 31 that such five or ten additional days, whichever is applicable, are 32 limited to the following: the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 33 after Labor Day, October seventh, known as October seventh remembrance 34 day, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the week in which public schools are 35 closed for spring recess, December twenty-fourth and the week between 36 Christmas day and New Year's day, the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 37 Friday after the observance of Washington's birthday, the first day of 38 the second lunar month after the winter solstice in the preceding calen- 39 dar year, known as Asian Lunar New Year, the fifteenth day of the eighth 40 month of the Indian calendar in each year, known as Diwali, and, in the 41 boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens only, Anniversary Day as designated in 42 section twenty-five hundred eighty-six of this chapter. 43 § 6. Section 2590-h of the education law is amended by adding a new 44 subdivision 57 to read as follows: 45 57. (a) Ensure that all students in the city district and the charter 46 schools in the city of New York authorized by article fifty-six of this 47 title providing instruction in accordance with section thirty-two 48 hundred four of this chapter, as part of the instruction in awareness of 49 October seventh remembrance day pursuant to section twenty-five hundred 50 eighty-six-b of this article. 51 (b) Commencing in the two thousand twenty-five--two thousand twenty- 52 six academic year, the chancellor shall require all public schools and 53 charter schools within the five boroughs of New York city to incorporate 54 lessons on October seventh, two thousand twenty-three, also known as the 55 October seventh massacre, as part of their Holocaust and genocide educa- 
 A. 6557 4 1 tion curriculum. Such lessons shall be age-appropriate and tailored to 2 the grade level. 3 (c) Such lessons shall include the historical context of the October 4 seventh, two thousand twenty-three attacks and their significance in the 5 ongoing struggle against antisemitism and other forms of hate. 6 (i) The curriculum shall also address the broader history of the Holo- 7 caust, including the systematic persecution and murder of Jews and other 8 marginalized groups by the Nazi regime, as well as the impact of those 9 events on future generations. 10 (ii) Students will learn about the importance of tolerance, diversity, 11 and the consequences of unchecked hatred. 12 (d) (i) The city district, in collaboration with Holocaust education 13 organizations, shall provide ongoing professional development and train- 14 ing for teachers to ensure they are equipped to teach these sensitive 15 subjects with accuracy, empathy, and respect. 16 (ii) In addition to classroom instruction, schools shall be encouraged 17 to host annual events on October seventh remembrance day, including 18 guest speakers, survivor testimonies, and other educational activities 19 to honor the victims of the October seventh attacks and the Holocaust. 20 § 7. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 294-b to 21 read as follows: 22 § 294-b. Statewide campaign for antisemitism prevention. 1. The divi- 23 sion shall develop and implement a statewide campaign to combat antise- 24 mitism and other forms of discrimination by implementing public aware- 25 ness campaigns, providing resources for reporting hate crimes and 26 incidents of discrimination, and promoting interfaith dialogue, healing, 27 and education. 28 2. In order to effectuate the purpose of the campaign the division 29 shall: 30 a. coordinate and cooperate with public and private organizations, 31 including, but not limited to, community groups, school districts, syna- 32 gogues, charitable organizations, foundations and other relevant groups; 33 b. develop educational materials to be published on the website of the 34 division, social media campaigns or other means determined to be the 35 most effective at reaching the public in a cost effective manner; 36 c. make information regarding such campaign available on the website 37 of the division; and 38 d. utilize other resources the division deems appropriate and any 39 other resources, private or public, identified by the division. 40 § 8. If any provision of this act or the application thereof to any 41 person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect 42 other provisions or applications of this act that can be given effect 43 without the invalid provision or application, and to this end, the 44 provisions of this act are declared to be severable. 45 § 9. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that 46 the amendments to section 2590-h of the education law made by section 47 six of this act shall not affect the expiration and reversion of such 48 section and shall expire and be deemed repealed therewith.