Texas School Official Suggests Books On the Holocaust May Need to Be Balanced by ‘Opposing’ Perspectives Due to State Law
A Texas school administrator attempting to explain the state’s new curriculum requirements suggested that books on the Holocaust should be balanced with “opposing” viewpoints, per audio obtained by NBC News.
During a training session with teachers on Friday in Southlake, Texas, Gina Peddy, the executive director of curriculum and instruction for Carroll School District, told them, “We are in the middle of a political mess, and you are in the middle of a political mess, and so we just have to do the best that we can. You’re gonna do what you do best. And that’s to teach kids.”
One teacher said, “I think we’re all just really terrified.”
“I think you are terrified, and I wish I could take that away,” Peddy replied.
“You are professionals,” said Peddy. “We hired you as professionals. We trust you with our children. So if you think the book is ok, then let’s go with it. And whatever happens, we will fight it together we will.”
“There’s a lot of districts that are in the same spot we’re in, and no one knows how to navigate these waters. I mean, no one.”
Later, teachers said they were unclear on which books were allowable to have in their classrooms.
“Just try to remember the concepts of [Texas House Bill] 3979,” said Peddy. “And make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust, that you have one that has an opposing–that has — other perspectives.”
The teachers can be heard reacting incredulously to the remark.
“Believe me,” Peddy said. “That’s come up.”
In a statement to NBC News, a school district spokesperson said Peddy’s example was an instance of the district trying to comply the HB 3979 that requires teachers to offer multiple points of view during discussions of “widely debated and currently controversial ideas.”
The law, which went into effect in September, states that “teachers who choose to discuss current events or widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy or social affairs shall, to the best of their ability, strive to explore such issues from diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective.”
