A Florida high school principal has apologized after telling a parent he couldn't call the Holocaust a “factual, historical event.”



Spanish River Community High School principal William Latson reportedly made the comments to a parent who was concerned about Holocaust education at the school, telling the parent that “not everyone believes the Holocaust happened,” according to the Palm Beach Post.

The news outlet last week published copies of the emails between Latson and the parent from April 2018 that were obtained through a public records request.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Not everyone believes the Holocaust happened,” Latson wrote. “And you have your thoughts, but we are a public school and not all of our parents have the same beliefs.”

He added that he cannot say the Holocaust is a “factual, historical event because I am not in a position to do so as a school district employee.”

Latson, in a statement to the news outlet, apologized for his remarks.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

Palm Beach County’s school board chairman, Frank Barbieri Jr., told The Washington Post in a statement that the school district is further investigating the incident.

The Hill has reached out to the school district for comment.

The controversial comments from Latson led the parent, who was not identified, to push for changes in how the school teaches the Holocaust and its surrounding events.

The 2,500-student high school near Boca Raton is thought to have one of the county’s largest Jewish student populations.