US school removes head who wouldn’t describe the Holocaust as ‘factual’
Florida secondary school's principal, William Latson, taken out of his position over controversial comments
A high school in Boca Raton, Florida, removed a principal who told a parent that he needed to remain neutral on whether or not the Holocaust occurred.
The Palm Beach County School District said in a statement Monday that it was aware of remarks made by William Latson in 2018 and had instructed him to expand Holocaust curriculum at Spanish River Community High School and spend time at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
“Despite these efforts, his leadership has become a major distraction for the school community. It is, therefore, in the best interest of students and the larger school community to reassign Mr. Latson to a District position,” the school district said in a statement on Monday.
Latson told the mother of a student a year ago that “Not everyone believes the Holocaust happened.” In a follow-up email exchange, he responded that “I can’t say the Holocaust is a factual, historical event because I am not in the position to do so as a school district employee.”
His comments drew wide media coverage after The Palm Beach Post reported on them on Friday.
The school, which has about 2,500 students, is said to have one of the largest Jewish student populations in the county, according to the report.
Latson, who had his job since 2011, apologised in a statement to the Post, saying his email “did not accurately reflect my professional and personal commitment to educating all students about the atrocities of the Holocaust.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
