Spanish River High School Principal William Latson, who is being reassigned due to him refusing to say if the Holocaust was real, blamed the situation on a mother’s “false statement.”
The Palm Beach Post revealed an April 2018 email exchange between Latson and an unidentified student’s mother where Latson said, “I 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.” Latson later apologized in a statement to the Palm Beach Post after his remarks became public. On July 8, the Palm Beach County School District announced that Latson was being reassigned over the matter, although his new position has yet to be determined.
Latson told the Post on July 9 following the announcement, “I have been reassigned to the district office due to a statement that was not accurately relayed to the newspaper by one of our parents. It is unfortunate that someone can make a false statement and do so anonymously and it holds credibility but that is the world we live in.”
The Post said that two district officials confirmed that the emails they obtained were accurate. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) as well as other Florida lawmakers have called for Latson to be fired altogether. A Change.org petition calling for Latson’s firing has received more than 8,000 signatures.
The Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee and StandWithUs all told the Journal on July 8 that the incident with Latson highlights the need to ensure that Florida law mandating Holocaust education in all state schools is properly enforced.
