Assemblyman Matt Slater on Wednesday proposed legislation that would require New York public schools to provide a structured, consistent curriculum on the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, arguing the lessons of that day should be taught to students who were not alive when the towers fell.
Slater, a Republican who represents the 94th District in the state Assembly, said the bill would ensure instruction covers the hijackings, the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, the strike on the Pentagon and the actions of passengers on Flight 93, as well as the human stories of first responders, survivor testimony, primary sources and the ongoing health consequences linked to the attacks.
In an opinion piece published by the New York Post on the 24th anniversary of the attacks, Slater said the current State Education Department guidance for schools is inconsistent and too brief to capture 9/11’s significance. He argued that, unlike other historical events for which the state requires statutory instruction, 9/11’s unique impact on New York — where nearly 3,000 people were killed and Lower Manhattan became Ground Zero — warrants a statewide mandate.
Slater described elements he wants included in the curriculum: classroom visits and testimony from survivors and first responders; access to artifacts and digital archives; age‑appropriate modules that span elementary through high school; and instruction about post‑9/11 illnesses tied to the toxic dust cloud that followed the towers’ collapse. He cited visits by exhibits such as the Tunnel to Towers Mobile Exhibit as powerful examples of how material artifacts and first‑hand accounts can affect students’ understanding.
The proposal calls for elementary lessons to emphasize stories of helpers and heroes, middle‑school work to focus on timelines and events, and high‑school study to examine political, military and cultural consequences, including the issue of radicalization that led to the attacks. Slater noted specific first responders, including FDNY firefighter Joseph Spor Jr. and firefighter Stephen Siller — the latter of whom Slater highlighted for running toward the disaster and inspiring the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Slater framed the proposal as nonpartisan, saying 9/11 united Democrats and Republicans in its aftermath and that teaching the day’s history should similarly transcend politics. He warned that as the generation that lived through the attacks ages, the opportunity for students to hear direct testimony is diminishing.
The State Education Department currently issues guidance to school districts on commemorating September 11, but Slater and others have criticized that guidance as insufficiently prescriptive. New York already requires Holocaust education by statute, a precedent Slater cited in arguing that 9/11 merits comparable legal recognition.
Slater also pointed to reporting that connects a rise in certain cancers to exposure to toxic debris from the World Trade Center site, saying instruction should include the long‑term health impacts experienced by survivors, first responders and area residents.
The bill was introduced as New York observed another anniversary of the attacks. Slater called for legislative action to make 9/11 instruction mandatory statewide, saying, “Never Forget cannot be just a slogan. It must be a promise — one we keep by teaching it to New York’s children.”
At the time of publication, there was no immediate response from the Education Department or other legislative offices about the bill’s prospects or potential timeline for hearings. The proposal will need to move through Assembly committees and pass both legislative chambers before reaching the governor’s desk.