Teach Kids the Holocaust Was Just Fine?
I thought that might grab your attention. Not only is it a patently false and offensive statement, but it is also an affront to all those who fought for freedom in WWII, those who sacrificed so much, and particularly those who lost their lives in concentration camps, similar to some of our family members. Who would have the temerity to make such a claim?
Gina Peddy, that’s who. She is the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, Texas. She advised teachers in a recent training meeting that if they have a book in their classroom describing the atrocities of the Holocaust, they should also offer students access to a book from an “opposing” perspective.
So why is she taking this ludicrous and offensive position? It’s pretty clear that her goal is to make a mockery of a recent Texas law that doesn’t sit well with the Left. The Texas Legislature recently passed a bill aimed to mitigate Critical Race Theory and other dubious concepts from being taught in the classroom. The goal of the legislation was not to make it easier to ban books on these subjects, but instead, it simply asked for balanced teaching. Despite this reasonable approach, Peddy is clearly showing her contempt for the new law and her support of the “we will decide what curriculum is best for your child” mentality.
That said, Peddy didn’t have many standing in her confusing corner. The liberal Texas State Teachers Association called it an overreaction and misinterpretation of the law, policy experts familiar with the state’s education body of law refuted her interpretation, and the school district itself posted a retraction, authored by Superintendent Lane Ledbetter. It stated, in part, that, “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. As we continue to work through implementation of HB3979, we also understand this bill does not require an opposing viewpoint on historical facts.” No kidding.
If Peddy was going for drama, she succeeded. If she was trying to show that the new law was poor legislation, she failed miserably. She was simply trotting out the all-too-familiar slippery slope argument. By her standard, we need to make sure that children get a balanced perspective by presenting books which argue that slavery wasn’t so bad, the Roman Colosseum was built for soccer games, the pyramids were part of a giant Tetris® game, and so on.
This whole unfortunate situation illustrates a few points. First, if you make wildly crazy claims, you get media coverage. Second, while not everyone can articulate the logical facility in her illustration, it should be obvious at an intuitive level that her conclusion just simply doesn’t mesh with what the new law will do. Third, it highlights that the intent and interpretation of a law is often as important as the wording of the law itself. The courts look at written laws, interpretations, and intentions – the interpretation and intent of this law is not to require refutation of the Holocaust. Finally, nothing is off limits for those opposed to your values. Whether it be lies about life in the womb, pretending transgender advantages in womens’ sports don’t exist, or aggressively forcing the indoctrination of your children and grandchildren on Critical Race Theory and other baseless concepts, they will stop at nothing.
Are we passionate enough about defending our biblical values despite adverse media coverage, intentional misinterpretation of laws, and the merciless onslaught by those on the other side of the issues? I can assure you that North Dakota Family Alliance is, and I hope you stand alongside us in defending our shared values.
If we lose, someday North Dakota students may be required to read a book that argues that the Cat really didn’t have a Hat. With apologies to Dr. Suess, I can live with that. But denying the atrocities of the Holocaust? That will not happen on our watch.