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Members of the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, Texas are in hot water after making a disrespectful comment during a training session last week.
Last week, the Carroll Independent School District Board voted to reprimand a fourth-grade teacher for keeping an anti-racism book in her classroom. Four days later, a school administrator by the name of Gina Peddy led a training session for teachers to discuss what books are and are not allowed in the classroom. During the session, Peddy told educators that if they were going to have books teaching students about the Holocaust they had to have books discussing "opposing views."
“Just try to remember the concepts of [House Bill] 3979,” Peddy said while referring to legislation that requires teachers to present opposing views while discussing “widely debated and currently controversial” issues.
"And make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust that you have one that has an opposing, that has other perspectives."
After NBC News reported the story on Thursday afternoon, Carroll spokeswoman Karen Fitzgerald refused to comment on the matter directly. Rather, Fitzgerald said the the school is trying to help teachers adjust to House Bill 3979 before it goes into effect this December.
“Our district recognizes that all Texas teachers are in a precarious position with the latest legal requirements,” Fitzgerald wrote in a statement obtained by NBC News.
“Our purpose is to support our teachers in ensuring they have all of the professional development, resources and materials needed. Our district has not and will not mandate books be removed nor will we mandate that classroom libraries be unavailable.”
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