In our August edition, freelance journalist Jan Engoren wrote about new state legislation mandating the school curriculum about both the Holocaust and the little-known 1920 race riot in Ocoee, Florida. The law, H.B.1213, co-sponsored by state Senator Lauren Book (D-Plantation), was spawned in part by an April 2018 incident in which a Boca Raton high school principal emailed a parent: “Not everyone believes the Holocaust happened.”
William Latson, then principal at Spanish River Community High School, was fired from the post he had held since 2011. Shortly after the Parklander began circulating through Broward and Palm Beach counties, however, on August 13, Florida Administrative Law Judge Robert S. Cohen ruled Latson should be reinstated. So, while it may be old news by the time you read this, in the interest of fairness, we felt it necessary to follow up with the judge’s ruling.
Judge Cohen ruled that Latson should be rehired and reassigned to a post in the district “commensurate with his qualifications.” The judge’s written ruling also recommended that Latson receive back wages.
The Palm Beach County school district “failed to prove that Latson engaged in misconduct in office, incompetence, or gross insubordination by a preponderance of the evidence. No just cause for his suspension or termination exists, but a reprimand and reassignment are warranted,” the judge wrote.
By Richard Battin