In the email to concerned parents, Principal Berkowitz said: “I want to acknowledge the gravity of this poor instructional decision, as students should never be asked to act out or portray any atrocity, especially genocide, war, or murder.”
According to The Washington Post, other parents reported that their children were told to act as if they were in trains on the way to concentration camps or that they were dying in Nazi gas chambers.
The staff member responsible for the lesson also allegedly made antisemitic comments during the class and told the students not to tell anyone else about the unsanctioned lesson.
According to the governing body of Washington DC schools, the teacher responsible has been placed on administrative leave. All the students involved in the re-enactment met with the school’s mental health team after the incident.
In response to reports of the incident, CEO of the Holocaust Education Trust Karen Pollock called the lesson "shocking and stupid."
