A middle school in Paramus, New Jersey, is trying to figure out how a baby picture of Adolf Hitler ended up in their yearbook. The baby photos from the graduating eighth graders at East Brook Middle School are from 2012 and 2013. However, a black-and-white photograph of Hitler shortly after his birth in 1889 was part of the collage after it was submitted by a student.
Incident Sparks Questions
The incident has sparked questions about how no one noticed before it went to print. The early image of the Nazi dictator who ordered the deaths of more than six million Jews during World War II made it through the proofreading phase and went to print. Shortly after East Brook graduating eighth graders started signing each other’s yearbooks earlier in June, a teacher sounded the alarm.
According to Paramus Mayor Chris DiPiazza, “When anything happens like this, it’s disappointing because I know one bad apple doesn’t reflect the 27,000 residents that love this community and call it home.” The yearbooks were collected before students could take them home, and school administrators said they were working on returning corrected versions so the photo won’t remain in circulation.
Response to the Incident
East Brook’s principal emailed families, saying in part, “even if the image was not immediately recognizable, its inclusion in an official school publication is a severe breach of our values.” A parent said that it was a “stupid prank” that the student should be punished for, but did not think law enforcement should get involved. The Bergen County prosecutor’s office did get involved, however, calling it a “bias incident” and not a bias crime.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
