NJ public school pulls yearbook after Hitler photo found among student baby pictures

A New Jersey middle school recalled its recently released yearbook when administrators learned that a photograph of Adolf Hitler had appeared in the publication’s baby pictures section.

“Earlier today, after students had already received their yearbooks, we learned that the baby pictures section of the yearbook contained an image that was later identified as an infant photograph of Adolf Hitler,” East Brook Middle School Principal Ryan Aupperlee wrote in a June 25 letter to parents, according to a report by NorthJersey.com. “We immediately collected the yearbooks so the image would not remain in circulation.”

East Brook Middle School serves students in Paramus, a Bergen County borough in northern New Jersey.

“I am aware of the unfortunate incident, involving the year book, at East Brook Middle School yesterday and have been in communication with both the Superintendent of Schools and Chief of Police,” Paramus, New Jersey, Mayor Chris DiPiazza wrote Friday in a Facebook post. “Our borough’s strength has always been because we are a town welcoming to all faiths and home to numerous houses of worship. Any examples, like yesterday’s, does not reflect Paramus. God bless”

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The incident prompted an investigation in Paramus. It was not immediately clear how the image was submitted, who was responsible for including it, or how it made it through the yearbook review process before the final copies were distributed.

The district is expected to determine next steps after reviewing how the photo appeared in the student publication. Law enforcement is investigating, too, according to the report.

“I want to be direct with you: the presence of this image is unacceptable,” Aupperlee’s said in his letter to parents. “Even if the image was not immediately recognizable to those paging through the book, its inclusion in an official school publication is a severe breach of our values. Adolf Hitler represents hatred, antisemitism, and the horrors of the Holocaust, including the murder of six million Jews. An image of him has no place in a yearbook created for our students. It does not reflect who we are or what East Brook stands for, and we condemn its inclusion without reservation.”

The returned yearbooks had already been signed by students and school staff, so those recalls will require some consideration on how the personal messages are kept.

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“Thank you for your patience, understanding, and trust as we work to make this right,” Aupperlee’s letter concluded. “We remain committed to ensuring that our school reflects the values of respect, inclusion, and dignity for every member of our community.”