Teacher can’t be fired for Holocaust denial

Advertisement

(JTA) — A Nevada teacher who reportedly denied the Holocaust in front of her students will not lose her job.

Lori Sublette, a gym teacher at the Northwest Career and Technical Academy, has been reassigned from work in the classroom to working at home, and continues to receive salary and benefits during a continuing school district investigation. A Nevada statute from 1967 prohibits Sublette, or any teacher, from being fired for "unprofessional conduct" unless they have previously been cited for a similar offense, according to the Las Vegas Sun. 

In November, Sublette denied the Holocaust during a discussion in an advocacy class that prepares students for life after high school. She said the Nazis did not have the technology to enable them to kill millions of Jews during the Holocaust. Students reportedly told their parents about the comments. The students also quoted Sublette as saying that information on the Holocaust in history books was doctored or distorted.

Sublette apologized to one parent, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, but only for conveying her opinion in class and not for denying the Holocaust.

District officials would not comment on whether Sublette, who has taught in the county for eight years, has any admonitions for unprofessional conduct in her file; personnel files are confidential.

Recommended from JTA

Advertisement