A southern California middle school is under heavy fire after a teacher assigned eight-grade students to write an essay on whether they believed the Holocaust was real or a work of fiction.
Outrage over the assignment from Southern California’s Rialto Unified School District caused groups like the Anti-Defamation League to call the school and ask them to eliminate it.
One person even called in death threats to high-ranking school officials, according to police.
“It was an error,” district spokeswoman Seda Jafri said Monday, who was on the receiving end of some of the death threats.
Superintendent Mohammad Islam was also targeted, and police said they are investigating a possible white male in his 30s as a suspect.
Islam has already assembled a team of teachers to ensure that references to the Holocaust “not occurring” are no longer part of the curriculum.
‘The Holocaust should be taught in classrooms with sensitivity and profound consideration to the victims who endured the atrocities committed,’ Jafri said. ‘We believe in the words of George Santayana, those who cannot learn from history are bound to repeat it.’