Holocaust Controversy Costs Principal His Job

Florida school board votes to rescind its decision to rehire a former principal who wrote to a parent in 2018 that he "could not state the Holocaust was a historical fact." WPTV's Ryan Hughes reports.

(WPTV/NBC News) — Florida’s Palm Beach County School Board on Monday voted unanimously to rescind its decision to rehire the former principal at Spanish River Community High School in Boca Raton in the wake of a Holocaust controversy.

Dr. William Latson was fired last year following an investigation into controversial comments he made about the Holocaust.

Last month, the school board took a judge’s recommendation and voted 4-3 to reinstate Latson within the School District of Palm Beach County.

On Monday, following weeks of outrage from the community, school board members voted 7-0 to rescind last month’s decision to reinstate Latson.

That means, according to a school district spokeswoman, Latson will return to suspended without pay status pending final action of the school board on Nov. 10. That’s when a modified order by the board to terminate Latson will be entered.

Just last week, Latson released a video in which he apologized for his comments about the Holocaust, stating in part:

“When I wrote to a parent in 2018 that as a school district employee I could not state that the Holocaust was a historical fact, I was wrong,” Latson said. “I apologize to the Palm Beach County community, the school board and school administrators, the teachers of Palm Beach County, the parents, the students, the Jewish community and everyone offended by my mistake. I am not a Holocaust denier. I have never been a Holocaust denier. I am sorry that my comment caused people to think that.”

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