A former Florida high school principal’s failure to acknowledge the Holocaust as a “factual, historical event” in an email to a parent has led to his second termination after being rehired last month.
What We Know:
- William Latson was the principal at Spanish River High in South Palm Beach County where a 2018 report showed Jewish people made up approximately 1/3 of the area’s population.
- The mother of a student sent Latson an email in April 2018 inquiring about the school’s Holocaust curriculum. In an attempt to remain “politically neutral” Latson replied stating that the school offered several activities in regards to Holocaust education yet, they were not mandatory for students to attend because everyone does not share the same beliefs.
- The student’s parent was shocked at this response and assured Latson that the Holocaust is a “factual, historical event” and was not something that one may choose to believe in or not. Latson stood by his previous statements contesting that some people do not believe the Holocaust took place and his position as a public school district employee did not permit him to say that it was a legitimate event.
- Following the enormous amount of backlash both Latson and the Palm Beach County school district received due to his insensitive comments, the former principal was reassigned to a district position. He was later fired in October 2019 at the recommendation of Superintendent Donald Fennoy, who expressed Latson’s termination was more fueled by his lack of communication with his supervisors when news of the resurfaced emails went global rather than the actual comments made.
- Latson was able to appeal his 2019 firing to a state administrative law judge. The judge recommended the district to provide him with a job and to pay him all wages lost in the time he was fired. Last month, in a 4-3 vote the school board voted in favor of reinstating Latson.
- The school board was hit with a supplementary wave of intense backlash from the community including Holocaust survivors along with 1,300 voicemails from individuals around the world asserting their outrage. Listening to the community, the school board voted 7-0 to rescind their previous decision resulting it Latson’s second termination.
- Latson regrets his statements made in the emails two years ago. In a YouTube video he claims he is not a Holocaust denier and never has been, and offers his apologies for making it seem as though he was. In the video he states, “When I wrote to a parent in 2018 that as an employee of Palm Beach County Public Schools I could not state that the Holocaust was a historical fact, I was wrong…”
Another formal hearing is scheduled November 10, for the decision to become final although it is unlikely the school board will sway their decision once again.
