HARRISBURG, Pa. —

A planned Senate bill would require Pennsylvania schools to teach curriculum about the Holocaust, genocide, and civil rights as part of an effort to inform young people in Pennsylvania about what happened.

The legislation being drafted by Sen. Doug Mastriano would require schools to offer age-appropriate education about the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights violations, according to a January sponsorship memo.

"Act 70 was passed by the General Assembly and enacted beginning with the 2015-2016 school year. The law recommended holocaust, genocide, and human rights education but it did not require it," he said.

Supporters of the legislation, including a Holocaust survivor, spoke Monday about the legislation at the Capitol, urging lawmakers to take up the proposal. They argued that students in Pennsylvania classrooms must learn about the Holocaust, which saw 6 million Jews killed along with millions of others targeted by the Nazis.

Author Rhonda Fink-Whitman, who has advocated for requiring schools to teach students about the Holocaust, recalled efforts to pass what became Act 70 and said more needs to be done to ensure students are learning about one of the most terrible chapters of human history.

"We were looking for a full-blown 100% mandate. We started out strong but in the end there was a lot of pushback and we were forced to settle," she said.

Although a state board of education survey found that 90% of public and private schools did offer some sort of curriculum surrounding the Holocaust, some on Monday they would like to see more uniform learning about the subject.

Sami Steigmann, a Holocaust survivor, said schools should be given clear rules about teaching children about what happened to help ensure the attitudes, behaviors, and actions that led to the genocide never happen again.

"The Holocaust must be taught forever and ever," he said.