A high school principal in the US state of Florida has been removed from his position for allegedly denying the "Holocaust" as a factual event, according to a media report.
William Latson, the principal of Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, Florida was reassigned to an unspecified new position after he in an email to a parent in April last year refused to say the Holocaust actually happened, the Fox News reported on Monday.
"I can't say the Holocaust is a factual, historical event because I am not in a position to do so as a school district employee," the report quoted Latson as saying in the email.
The response to the student's mother reportedly came after she questioned what Holocaust education would be provided for her child, the report said.
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the World War II genocide of the European Jews. Between 1941 and 1945, across German-occupied Europe, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population.
Commenting over the incident, the school district said that it did not support Latson's response.
More From This Section
In addition to being offensive, the principal's statement is not supported by either the School District Administration or the School Board," it said in a statement.
Latson later apologised for his statement.
"I regret the verbiage that I used when responding to an email message from a parent, one year ago, did not accurately reflect my professional and personal commitment to educating all students about the atrocities of the Holocaust," he said explaining his apology.
"It is critical that, as a society, we hold dear the memory of the victims and hold fast to our commitment to counter anti-Semitism, he said.