Schools to Let Students Opt out of Holocaust Lesson, Citing Students With ‘Different Experiences’
Virginia’s largest school district will let students skip a presentation from a Holocaust survivor, saying the diverse district includes students with “different experiences.”
“We understand that all students have different experiences. If you prefer to opt your child out from participating in this presentation, please email your child’s history teacher and they will be provided an alternate assignment. Please email your child’s history teacher with any questions that you may have,” a letter from Cooper Middle School said.
The letter referred to a scheduled presentation from a Holocaust survivor to seventh-graders, according to Adele Scalia, a mother of one of those middle schoolers.
A Holocaust survivor is coming to speak to my son’s 7th grade History class on Monday. Wonderful. What’s less than wonderful, though, is the opt-out for this lesson because “We understand that all students have different experiences.”
What does that even mean? pic.twitter.com/FEDldcu1hi— Adele Scalia (@AdeleScalia) March 14, 2024
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) claimed it is advertising an opt-out for the benefit of Jews.
“Each year, Cooper MS invites a Holocaust survivor to speak with students to affirm meaningful learning experiences that increase representation of all identity groups that are essential to student learning. Some Jewish students have previously expressed discomfort while engaging in dialogue around this visit. For that reason, school leadership makes every effort to partner with families of these students, who are 12 and 13 years old, to keep them informed. This opt-out allows the family the opportunity to make the best informed decision on behalf of their student,” it said in a statement to The Daily Wire. (Read more from “Schools to Let Students Opt out of Holocaust Lesson, Citing Students With ‘Different Experiences’” HERE)
