I’ve been trying to imagine what Gina Peddy could have been thinking when, on 8 October, she informed a group of Southlake,
Texas, elementary school teachers that, if their classroom libraries included books about the Holocaust, students should also be steered toward books with “opposing views”.
The executive director for curriculum and instruction for the Carroll Independent school district, Peddy later explained that she was simply helping her staff comply with Texas House Bill 3979. Signed into law on 1 September by Governor Greg Abbott, the ruling prohibits educators from discussing controversial historical, social or political issues. If these subjects do arise, HB 3979 mandates that teachers “explore such issues from diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective”.
Peddy’s speech was secretly recorded by one of the training session attendees. On the tape, one can hear the bewildered protests that greeted her directive.
When a teacher demanded to know how one is supposed to “oppose” the Holocaust, Peddy replied: “Believe me. That’s come up.”