Texas School Administrator Tells Teachers to Balance Holocaust Books With ‘Opposing’ Viewpoints
A school administrator in Texas told teachers during a training session to present an “opposing” view if they teach books about the Holocaust. According to a recording of an Oct. 8 training session obtained by NBC News…
A school administrator in Texas told teachers during a training session to present an “opposing” view if they teach books about the Holocaust.
According to a recording of an Oct. 8 training session obtained by NBC News, Gina Peddy, the Carroll Independent School District’s executive director of curriculum and instruction, told teachers, “Just try to remember the concepts of 3979.”
As the outlet explains, Peddy was “referring to a new Texas law that requires teachers to present multiple perspectives when discussing ‘widely debated and currently controversial’ issues.”
“And make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust that you have one that has an opposing, that has other perspectives,” Peddy said.
One teacher asked, “How do you oppose the Holocaust?”
“Believe me, that’s come up,” Peddy responded.
The training session reportedly came after the school board reprimanded a fourth-grade teacher after a parent complained that the educator had an anti-racism book in her classroom.
Listen to the audio below:
Karen Fitzgerald told NBC News, “Our district recognizes that all Texas teachers are in a precarious position with the latest legal requirements.”
“Our purpose is to support our teachers in ensuring they have all of the professional development, resources, and materials needed. Our district has not and will not mandate books be removed, nor will we mandate that classroom libraries be unavailable,” she added.