The Kent School District and Kent School Board are under attack by the Seattle-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for what the group called a “deeply troubling” statement about the Holocaust by a district staff member.

Miri Cypers, regional director of ADL’s Pacific Northwest Region, wrote a Nov. 7 letter to the board and Superintendent Israel Vela in response to an incident during the board’s Nov. 2 workshop and discussion about school library collections.

“While discussing the potential breadth of a content in the school libraries, the staff member said, ‘If you are thinking broadly, and you think it’s OK to have books about the Holocaust, as I mentioned before, in the library for students, you have to be willing to have a book that disputes the Holocaust,’” according to the letter.

Cypers said in the letter multiple community members reached out to the ADL regarding the incident. The ADL is a 108-year-old civil rights and anti-hate organization dedicated to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination and bigotry.

Pam Hawley, introduced by Vela at the meeting as a policy coordinator, but listed on the staff directory as an executive assistant, made the statement, according to a video of the work session.

Vela and board members didn’t respond at the meeting to the comment. The district later posted the following statement on its website:

“The Kent School District curriculum includes teaching about the Holocaust to deepen understanding about its scope and scale, along with why and how it happened. Our values are equity, excellence, and community and KSD stands firmly against racism in any form.

“A comment made at the Nov. 2 Board Work Session was not made in the context of ‘calling for’ books that deny the Holocaust. Kent School District is not calling for or requesting books denying the Holocaust or in any way denying or defaming these events and the impact it continues to have in our society today.”

Cypers said in the letter more needs to be done by the district.

“We are not suggesting any ill intent by the staff member or school board members,” Cypers said. “However, we find the statement that was made at last week’s meeting deeply troubling and would like to offer our support as a resource on understanding and combating antisemitism, as well as the broader question of school district library collection policies.”

Cypers said her group would like to meet with Vela, board members and district staff to learn more about the context under which the statement was made and to discuss the danger of Holocaust denial.

“Regardless of context, we want to stress that it is inappropriate to evoke the Holocaust as an example in discussions such as the one Kent School District was having,” Cypers said. “The Holocaust is not a matter of opinion, it was the systemic murder of six million Jews and millions of others. Disputing the Holocaust is a painful antisemitic trope, and we urge leaders like you to speak out against it.”

The ADL also has concerns about district library policies.

“This statement may indicate a conflation of library policies which allow school librarians to maintain an inclusive collection with those that would permit factually inaccurate and harmful books such as those that deny the Holocaust,” Cypers said. “We encourage the Kent School District to adopt policies that can both allow for inclusive books in their libraries without allowing harmful and factually inaccurate books as well.”

The board has not voted yet on any new policies.

Board reaction

Board President Leslie Hamada apologized for the incident and how it was handled.

“As the board president and for the board as a whole we are all deeply saddened and apologize for the issue that occurred at our work session which at that hour was focused on policy,” Hamada said in a Nov. 8 email to the Kent Reporter. “I personally failed to speak up other than to be taken aback by the inappropriate, way extreme example that was brought forward when I very vocally could be heard saying ‘Oh boy’ and I personally apologize that I was not prepared to say out loud that would never happen in the Kent School District school libraries. I was certainly thinking it.”

Hamada said her father served five years in World War II fighting against governments that were definitely carrying out atrocities against the Jewish people and governments that were trying to take over our freedom.

“My husband and I traveled to Berlin, Germany, and I saw the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe,” Hamada said. “I was so moved that I could not go to the underground information part where three million Jewish Holocaust victims are listed, and many pictures were displayed of the atrocities. It visibly upset my husband who is pretty stoic in most incidences. He said you made the right choice; you would have been very upset by it.”

Hamada said she’s open to meeting with the ADL.

“The board will definitely meet with the ADL and hopefully have a good discussion,” she said.

District reaction

A district spokesperson has not responded to a Kent Reporter email for comment about the letter from the Anti-Defamation League.