February 03, 1998|BY A SUN STAFF WRITER
The Maryland Senate gave final approval last night to a bill that would require public schools to teach children about the Irish potato famine.
The bill passed 26-20 with no debate and goes to the House of Delegates, where its prospects are uncertain.
The legislation sponsored by Sen. Perry Sfikas, a Baltimore Democrat, would require public elementary and secondary schools to teach children about a tragedy that killed 1 million of Ireland's 8 million people and set off a historic wave of immigration to the United States.
Last week, before a preliminary vote, the Senate engaged in spirited debate over the measure, which is opposed by state education officials.
Some opponents said last week that the Senate was advancing onto a "slippery slope" by requiring that one ethnic group's plight be included in the curriculum.
In last night's vote, seven of the eight African-American senators supported the measure. Some of them had said last week that they identified with the plight of the Irish in the 19th century.
Pub Date: 2/03/98
