A Florida high school principal was fired earlier this week for the second time over comments he made in 2018 over the Holocaust curriculum taught in his school.
The Palm Beach County School Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to finalize William Latson’s termination as principal of Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The board decided to fire Latson for the second time after he was reinstated in October on the recommendation of a state administrative law judge.
Latson ignited an international uproar after telling a parent of a Spanish River student that, as principal, Latson had to remain “politically neutral” on whether the Holocaust was a historical event or not. Latson said he had to be mindful of those who push for more education of the Holocaust in school, as well as those who believe the Holocaust never happened, according to the Sun Sentinel.
“I work to expose students to certain things but not all parents want their students exposed so they will not be and I can’t force that issue,” Latson wrote in the email. “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.”
The school board met on Nov. 2 to hear input from the community on Latson’s future as principal of Spanish River High School. The board received comments from many interested people, including a Holocaust survivor who challenged the board to ensure “that our children should get the proper education, that they should not deny the truth.” The meeting was streamed on Facebook by WPBF 25 (relevant portion begins at around the 42-minute mark).
The survivor opened his remarks by listing off a handful of Nazi concentration camps in which he was held while holding up his left arm, tattooed with the number 184482 by his Nazi guards.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the committee, I am standing in front of you here today for the six million, for my whole family … [that] perished in the Holocaust,” the survivor said. He said that he served as a “reminder” of the 20th century genocide of Jews and numerous others.
“You should remember you are the judges, and the Almighty stands in front of you here right now,” he told the board. “He wants to see how you will judge that should be remembered, that our children should get the proper education, that [you] should not deny the truth.”
“May God bless America. May God bless Israel. And never again,” the elderly man concluded his remarks.
The school district first reassigned Latson after the scandal broke over a year after the email was sent, then fired him. Judge Robert S. Cohen ruled in August that the school district lacked the grounds to fire Latson, according to the Sun Sentinal.
The school district “failed to prove that [Latson] engaged in misconduct in office, incompetence, or gross insubordination by a preponderance of the evidence. No just cause for his suspension or termination exists, but a reprimand and reassignment are warranted,” the judge wrote in his ruling. “Any competent evidence of Anti-Semitism, either direct or indirect, on Dr. Latson’s part, is sorely lacking.”
The judge contributed the outrage to a poorly-worded email.