Irv Madnikoff is chairman of the social studies department at Northwest Career and Technical Academy, where a teacher is under investigation by the School District for allegedly telling students that Nazis lacked the technology to kill 6 million Jews.
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Sun Archives
- Teacher’s Holocaust remarks spur probe (12-29-2009)
- Report: Vegas teacher accused of denying Holocaust (12-19-2009)
- ACLU airs free speech concerns on bias policy (4-25-2009)
- Exoneration sought for UNLV professor (2-21-2005)
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When teacher Irv Madnikoff relocated to Las Vegas from Miami four years ago, he brought with him nearly two decades of classroom experience, including having created an award-winning Holocaust studies course that earned congressional praise.
Madnikoff volunteered to develop and teach a similar class for Clark County School District students.
He was politely rebuffed.
The instructional day was crowded, he was told, and what he was proposing wasn’t a good fit.
Imagine, then, his reaction when one of his colleagues at Northwest Career and Technical Academy reportedly told students that the Nazis lacked the technology to kill millions of Jews during World War II.
When classes resume Monday, Madnikoff said, he’ll be in his principal’s office to once again volunteer his expertise as a Holocaust educator.
But this time, he wants to teach the teachers.
The Holocaust — the extermination of an estimated 6 million Jews and millions of other so-called “undesirables” by the Nazis during World War II — has long been a part of the School District’s curriculum. The state requires it. Students are expected to know basic facts by the eighth grade, although it is left up to each district to determine how the information is delivered.
While teaching at Sunset High in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Madnikoff decided that students needed more information than the minimum required by Florida’s standards. He developed a class that allowed students to earn academic credit for studying world religions and the Holocaust, the first of its kind in the nation’s fourth-largest school district. An interactive exhibit created by the students drew thousands of visitors.
Holocaust education isn’t just about dealing with a particular period in history, Madnikoff said, but rather using it as a window to explore deeper truths about prejudice and hate.
“Kids learn it at home, they learn it on the street and they learn it from their friends,” Madnikoff said. “Education is the best answer to that.”
The district is investigating what exactly happened when Lori Sublette, who teaches physical education at Northwest CTA, reportedly made her comments to students during a mentoring class last month. The classes are taught weekly by all faculty to help students with life skills they’ll need after graduation. After word got out about the alleged comments, Sublette was told to remain home pending the district investigation. She has not returned telephone or e-mail messages from the Sun requesting an interview.
Education officials say that when a teacher strays from the required curriculum, as Sublette is alleged to have done, it likely falls under the category of “unprofessional conduct.” State law requires teachers be admonished on the first offense and given an opportunity to correct their deficiencies. Districts can only fire the teacher if a similar incident occurs within three years. Only the most serious offenses, such as moral turpitude or a felony conviction, can result in a teacher’s immediate termination.
Kelly Bucherie, academic manager for the district, would not specifically address the Sublette issue but said the district’s policies and expectations are clear.
“Teachers need to stay with the curriculum,” Bucherie said. “And they need to use common sense and not venture down roads where their opinions can be harmful or hurtful.”
Phyllis Friedman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of Nevada, said she and other Jewish community leaders — as well as Holocaust survivors who live locally — have had several productive meetings with School District officials in the wake of the incident. There are plans for an assembly at Northwest CTA, and Friedman said she would also encourage the school’s students to work on developing a Holocaust education Web page that would be connected to the ADL’s online resource center.
As for Madnikoff, Friedman said she would be pleased to meet with him and encouraged his involvement.
The Nevada Governor’s Advisory Council on Education Relating to the Holocaust, the Clark County School District and the Anti-Defamation League sponsor an annual conference, which will be held at Northwest CTA this winter.
“It was scheduled before any of this happened,” Friedman said. “How’s that for irony?”
As for Madnikoff, he hopes for a warmer reception to his offer to share his expertise.
“In the past, no one’s been interested,” Madnikoff said. “Whether or not I’m involved, I hope this can somehow become a teachable moment — for the faculty as well as the students.”
