‘There Are Not Two Sides of the Holocaust’: Texas School District Cleans Up Administrator’s Call to Teach ‘Opposing’ Perspectives
A Texas school district has released a statement in an attempt to clarify an administrator’s remarks, caught on audio, that suggested that teaching the Holocaust should consist of opposing perspectives in compliance with a new Texas law.
The law, which took effect in September, requires “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.”
During a training session last week in Southlake, TX, the executive director of curriculum and instruction for Carroll School District, Gina Peddy, addressed the issue. Her comments were recorded by a teacher in attendance; Texas is a “one-party consent” state that legally allows audio and video recordings to be made as long as one person present has consented.
“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,” said Peddy. “You’re gonna do what you do best. And that’s to teach kids.”
Peddy tried to assuage concerns from teachers in how they should adhere to the new law.
“Just try to remember the concepts of [Texas House Bill] 3979,” she said. “And make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust, that you have one that has an opposing – that has — other perspectives.”
In a statement on Thursday night, the district’s superintendent, Lane Ledbetter, sought to clarify Peddy’s remarks.
“During the conversations with teachers during last week’s meeting, the comments made were in no way to convey that the Holocaust was anything less than a terrible event in history. Additionally, we recognize there are not two sides of the Holocaust,” he said.
“As we continue to work through implementation of HB 3979, we also understand this bill does not require an opposing viewpoint on historical facts,” he continued. “As a district we will work to add clarity to our expectations for teachers and once again apologize for any hurt or confusion this has caused.”
Watch above, via CNN.
