A San Bernardino County school board says it is “deeply sorry” for asking middle-school students to debate whether the Holocaust really happened.
NBC4 reports that Rialto school officials at a “contentious meeting Wednesday evening” called the debate a “horribly inappropriate assignment” and that School Board President Joanne T. Gilbert said school district leadership “accepts responsibility and the duty to correct this problem,” adding that the assignment had not been intended to be hurtful.
NBC writes that “Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center was among the speakers protesting the district’s decision during a meeting on Wednesday night.”
“There’s something broken (in the district),” he said.
He attributed the assignment to “stupidity” and invited the school district to bring both students and staffers to visit the Museum of Tolerance.
According to NBC4 the assignment “prompted death threats against school officials and police to be stationed outside schools earlier this week in response.”
The assignment reads in part:
When tragic events occur in history, there is often debate about their actual existence. For example, some people claim the Holocaust is not an actual event, but instead is a propaganda tool that was used for political and monetary gain. you will read and discuss multiple, credible articles on this issue, and write an argumentative essay, based upon cited textual evidence, in which you explain whether or not you believe this was an actual event in history, or merely a political scheme created to influence public emotion and gain wealth. Remember to address counterclaims (rebuttals) to your stated claim.
***You can view a copy of the assignment obtained by NBC4, by clicking here. ***
You can watch a news clip on the controversy below.
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