Florida High School Principal Under Fire For Comments Questioning The Holocaust

A school principal in Florida has come under fire for comments in emails that questioned if the Holocaust happened.

William Latson, who works at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, received an email from a student’s mother who was concerned about how the Holocaust was being taught at the school. She felt that the school should make education of the genocide “a priority” for students. While Latson assured the mother that there were plenty of “activities” regarding Holocaust education, he added comments that drew scrutiny.

“The curriculum is to be introduced but not forced upon individuals as we all have the same rights but not all the same beliefs,” Latson wrote in the email. “We advertise it to the 10th grade parents as there are some who do not want their children to participate and we have to allow them the ability to decline. By doing it in that grade level, every student will get the opportunity before they graduate.”

Latson took it a step further, saying that he “can’t say the Holocaust is a factual, historical event because I am not in a position to do so as a school district employee.”

“I regret that the verbiage that I used when responding to an email message from a parent, one year ago, did not accurately reflect my professional and personal commitment to educating all students about the atrocities of the Holocaust,” Latson told the Palm Beach Post.

Despite Latson’s apology, the school has faced blowback on social media, with many asking for Latson’s firing immediately. A petition on Change.org calling for his resignation has also received just under 7,000 signatures.