Ex-principal who made Holocaust comments fired

By Lois K. Solomon
South Florida Sun Sentinel |
Oct 30, 2019 | 4:41 PM

Spanish River High School Principal William Latson was removed after telling a parent in an email he had to be “politically neutral” about the Holocaust. (Gina Fontana)

The Palm Beach County School Board on Wednesday fired William Latson, former principal of Spanish River High, for being unavailable after comments he made about the Holocaust generated a national uproar over the summer.

In a 5-2 vote, the board accepted the recommendation of Superintendent Donald Fennoy, who said Latson had committed ethical misconduct by being unreachable when “all hell broke loose” after his emailed comments to a Spanish River parent became public. He was on a previously planned vacation out of the country.

Latson sat in the front row of the School Board meeting and did not react as the board voted without comment. He declined to comment after the meeting but accepted the hugs of several staff members and parents from the Boca Raton school who had come to support him.

“These are the facts. He is not anti-Semitic. He believes the Holocaust is factual,” Latson’s attorney, Thomas Elfers, told the board.

Paid Post

In 2018, Latson told a parent, who was seeking information about Spanish River’s Holocaust curriculum, that he had to remain “politically neutral” — sensitive not only to advocates of Holocaust education but to those who deny the annihilation of 6 million Jews during World War II.

“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,” Latson wrote to the parent, whose name is redacted from the emails released by the district.

Latson detailed his efforts to implement the school’s Holocaust curriculum, a state mandate since 1994, but wrote that not every family had been amenable to the lessons.

“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.

RELATED: Spanish River principal was vacationing in Jamaica during uproar over Holocaust comments »

Elfers said the board was punishing Latson for a “poorly worded email” and said there were multiple levels of culpability, including school district staff that knew about the emails for 16 months before deciding to discipline him when the comments focused national scrutiny on the school district.

Spanish River parents and alumni condemned what they called the insensitivity of Latson’s comments, considering the large population of Holocaust survivors and their descendants in Boca Raton and South Florida. More than 10,000 survivors are estimated to live in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, the second largest concentration in the United States after New York.

Politicians from across the state also called for Latson’s termination or resignation, as did the Anti-Defamation League, a national civil rights group with an office in Boca Raton.

The school district had known about Latson’s comments for more than a year, but Latson’s supervisors were working with him on improving Holocaust education at the school. He even traveled to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial in Washington, D.C., to learn more about the tragedy.

In July, Latson was reassigned from the school to an unspecified position. His salary was $106,659.

Documents released last week show the school district wanted to dismiss Latson not for the emails he sent about the Holocaust but for not being present when the news media found out about the comments in July and hordes of news people and community members began descending on the school. Latson was on a previously planned vacation in Jamaica and the district said he did not reply to calls, emails and texts.

On Wednesday, the board rejected an amendment by School Board member Barbara McQuinn, who wanted Latson to serve a 10-day suspension without pay and be demoted from his principal position.

The board then voted on his dismissal. McQuinn and board member Debra Robinson were opposed, while members Chuck Shaw, Erica Whitfield, Marcia Andrews, Karen Brill and chairman Frank Barbieri Jr. were in favor.

Parents and teachers from Spanish River came to the meeting to support Latson and ask the board to save his job. Teacher Omni Freeman called him “the best principal I’ve had in my teaching career.”

Teacher Ryan Wells said there is “zero evidence showing wrongdoing.”

“This is a textbook example of a witch hunt,” he said.

Shari Fox, Spanish River’s academy coordinator, called Latson “a highly moral and ethical man.”

“People who know nothing about this man were jumping on the bandwagon,” Fox told the board.

Beginning Thursday, a 15-day suspension without pay begins for Latson. If he does not appeal, his termination is effective Nov. 21.

Latson can dispute his dismissal by filing a grievance through the school district’s Department of Labor Relations or appealing the decision to a state administrative law judge. If either decides in his favor, the School Board would have to vote again, but he would remain suspended without pay.

“I expect this issue will be coming back to us,” School Board member Marcia Andrews said after the meeting.

Source: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/fl-ne-latson-vote-20191030-r6zaus3uxrefvm2qwngb4lzjhq-story.html