Principal whose Holocaust remarks went viral is fired

A high school principal in Florida who told a student’s mother “not everyone believes the Holocaust happened” has been fired.

The Palm Beach County school board voted 5-2 to fire William Latson on ground of “ethical misconduct” and “failure to carry out job responsibilities.” Latson was principal of Spanish River High School in Boca Raton.

The Palm Beach Post reports the official justification for Latson’s termination was failure to return messages from school district officials in the days after his comments made international news.

Latson’s attorney has vowed to appeal the decision in state administrative court.

Several Spanish River teachers spoke on behalf of Latson Wednesday, describing him as a kind and tolerant administrator whose words were twisted in a national media frenzy.

Latson has been with the district for 26 years.