According to KTLA in Los Angeles, eighth graders in the Rialto school district were assigned to write an essay about the Holocaust describing “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.”
8th grade assignment asked if Holocaust was a “propaganda tool that was used for political and monetary gain.”http://t.co/zdCjlshQ53
— KTLA (@KTLA) May 5, 2014
KTLA further reports:
In a statement released Monday, a spokeswoman for the Rialto Unified School District said an academic team was meeting to revise the assignment.
Interim Superintendent Mohammad Z. Islam was set to talk with administrators to “assure that any references to the holocaust ‘not occurring’ will be stricken on any current or future Argumentative Research assignments,” a statement from district spokeswoman Syeda Jafri read.
“The holocaust should be taught in classrooms with sensitivity and profound consideration to the victims who endured the atrocities committed,” Jafri said.
2000 or so 8th graders in Rialto, and not a single parent or teacher was bothered by an assignment to deny the Holocaust? We are screwed.
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) May 6, 2014
Scariest part: "did not receive complaints about the assignment from parents, teachers or administrators" http://t.co/xZGTJ0SqKK
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) May 5, 2014
Making the story even more unreal is the superintendent's name is Mohammad Islam. RT @philipaklein Jaw. On. Floor. http://t.co/DgNuRIp3jE …
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) May 5, 2014
Name of interim superintendent in the Holocaust denier assignment school district? "Mohammad Z. Islam". #NothingToSeeHere
— SFK (@stephenkruiser) May 6, 2014
The “educator" wrote the Rialto, CA Holocaust-denying #CommonCore assignment should never infest a classroom again http://t.co/LYZLvDrjGH
— Cameron Gray (@Cameron_Gray) May 6, 2014
CAIR highlighted on Facebook appt of superintendent at school that assigned Holocaust denial essay to 8th graders http://t.co/oqT2x9uTvI
— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) May 6, 2014
They're going to "revise" the assignment. Yeah, I'd say that literally the least they should do. http://t.co/Lb2X8hZnIE
— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) May 5, 2014
Holocaust denial in American public schools. Time to burn the institutions down and start over. Evil. Evil. Evil.
— Melissa Clouthier (@MelissaTweets) May 5, 2014