Students and an increasing number of their teachers are too young to remember 9/11.

A new state law aims to help ensure that the lessons from that day live on.

Act 25 of 2024 requires schools to hold a moment of silence during the school day annually on the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville.

The legislation also included a provision directing the Department of Education to develop classroom materials to help students understand the events on Sept. 11, 2001, and the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. The legislation gave the department a year to produce those materials and they are now available, said Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York.

“Our students today are learning about Sept. 11, 2001, through the lens of a history lesson rather than a lived experience,” Phillips-Hill said. “I am hopeful that through this new law, more school districts will take advantage of the materials available from the state Department of Education and provide context to students of what transpired that day and how this moment in time forever altered the future of our nation and the world.”

Phillips-Hill authored a 9/11 curriculum bill. That legislation was rolled into House Bill 1097, which called for the moment of silence. House Bill 1097 was prime sponsored by state Rep. Jim Haddock,

D-Luzerne.

“My bill would ensure that future generations of Pennsylvanians understand the events of 9/11, as well as the impact that day continues to have on the lives of all Americans,” Haddock said in a statement at the time the bill was approved. “The tragedies that occurred on September 11, 2001, changed our country forever. It is 23 years later, and we are still studying and analyzing the effect that day had on our foreign policy, national security, society and our values.”

The Senate and House unanimously approved HB 1097. It was signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro on June 17, 2024.

“We may be nearly a quarter century removed from 9/11, but we must never forget,” Phillips-Hill added.