Va. resident seeks answers from state education superintendent over genocide definition

(VIRGINIA MERCURY) - A Virginia resident is asking a Prince William County district court to order the state’s superintendent of public instruction to demonstrate how the Virginia Department of Education defines the term “genocide” in the state’s K-12 history curriculum.

Prince William resident Gene Sokolowski filed a FOIA lawsuit in his county district court, alleging that Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway of the Virginia Department of Education could not identify the source material supporting the definition used in statewide history and social science standards, designed to ensure students master key subjects before graduation.

Sokolowski, a Polish-American, alleges that the state’s history standards incorrectly define groups that can be targeted for genocide, diverging from the 1948 Genocide Convention.

According to the petition, Sokolowski requested on Feb. 8 all records that “identify, cite, reference, or describe the source for the definition of the four victim groups of genocide as ‘racial, political, religious, or cultural.’”

Sololowski expressed concern that students are being taught a version of history lacking an authoritative source and one that’s not aligned with international law.

“I submit that it’s an objective assessment that there’s a deliberate effort to avoid mentioning the Genocide Convention,” said Sokolowski.

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