The principal of a Florida high school has been accused of defending anti-Semites after saying they have a right to believe the Holocaust didn't happen.
The incredulous response came after one mother contacted principal William Latson, of Spanish River High School, asking what the school was doing to provide Holocaust education to its students.
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After explaining the ways the school includes the Holocaust in its curriculum, Latson reportedly added that it is "to be introduced but not forced upon individuals as we all have the same rights but not all the same beliefs".
When the mother asked to clarify his comments, saying that the Holocaust is a factual, historical event, Latson doubled down on defending those who believe it never occurred.
"The clarification is that 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," Latson wrote in an email obtained by The Palm Beach Post through a public records request.
"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 mother then carried out a year-long mission to make sure all students at the school were educated about the Holocaust.
Her push led to all 10th-grade English students now having to read Elie Weisel's Holocaust memoir Night, along with plans to introduce an annual Holocaust assembly for all students.
Meanwhile, Latson says he regrets the comments he made and has even conducted a four-day visit to Washington DC to visit the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
"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 said in a statement sent to The Palm Beach Post.
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