High School principal doesn't want to force "belief" that Holocaust happened onto students.

[DetlefK]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/7/6/1869978/-High-School-Principal-Not-everyone-believes-the-Holocaust-happened-so-can-opt-out-of-classes?utm_campaign=trending

Emails from 2018 reveal that principal William Latson of Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, Fla. said that:

Holocaust education is “to be introduced but not forced upon individuals, as we all have the same right but not all the same beliefs.”

The courses were taught to 10th grade students and the principal mentioned how to be fair, student’s parents had to have the right to opt out of such classes…

“Not everyone believes the Holocaust happened and you have your thoughts but we are a public school and not all of our parents have the same beliefs so they will react differently, my thoughts or beliefs have nothing to do with this because I am a public servant. I have the role to be politically neutral but support all groups in the school...”

...

“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 on Friday. “It is critical that, as a society, we hold dear the memory of the victims and hold fast to our commitment to counter anti-Semitism.”

What has the world come to, when we won't respect a person's inherent right to ignore, deny and rewrite history?

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Oskar Groening

My response to Holocaust deniers going forward?



*Born in 1921 in Lower Saxony, Germany

*Joined the Hitler Youth and then the Waffen SS

*Worked at Auschwitz from 1942, counting money confiscated from prisoners

*Expressed regret and spoke openly of Auschwitz experiences, saying he wanted to counter Holocaust deniers


I'll take his word for it.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42698558

[Mc Mike]

2. I'll bet Latson is a 'christian', who doesn't mind sharing his 'beliefs' about it.

But facts that he doesn't like are 'beliefs'.

[DFW]

3. Maybe not everyone believes William Latson is human.

I'm sure he has paperwork, and all, but maybe there people who, despite all that, believe that William Latson is a rabid dog, to be shot on sight in the interests of public safety. I wonder if William Latson thinks their beliefs--along with their Second Amendment rights, of course--are to be respected as well?

[Raven123]

4. He is a Holocaust denier appeaser, at least

I read the original article. The comments quoted occurred over in a couple emails. I don’t see it as a verbage issue or a political issue. If you think the Holocaust should be taught ( it should ) you teach. Making the educational opportunity as optional as an intramural sport is unacceptable. That doesn’t mean basic education cannot be supplemented with optional events such a memorial services.

[Baltimike]

5. He needs to *go*. nt

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Does he want to force students to believe all that crap about how

this country was founded? That there was a Civil War? That there were 2 world wars? That 9/11 happened?

When did these idiots decide facts are debatable?

[yardwork]

7. Other topics the principal thinks are optional for students to learn:

Whether or not the Earth is round is a matter of belief, and we have to respect the beliefs of all students. Therefore, classes during which the roundness of the Earth might be discussed will be optional for students. Parents must be given advance notice of such classes, with the right to opt out their children. Accommodation will be given to students whose parents don't wish for them to participate in classes in which Earth's roundness is discussed.

Whether or not the Earth revolves around the Sun, or vice versa, is a matter of belief, and the beliefs of all students must be accommodated. Therefore, it is now mandatory for the high school to provide equal time for those who believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Both theories will be taught in science classes, so as to accommodate the beliefs of all families.

Creationism will be taught as fact because it's just too exhausting to have to defend the teaching of that new theory about evolution in this community. After all, Boca Raton is a small community with a very homogenous population. We like to do things the way they've always been done around here.

Teaching algebra is right out. Did you know that Arabs made it up?