OMAHA, Neb — The Westside school district is reacting after it says a staff member at Westside Middle School posted a quote by Adolf Hitler on a hallway marker board this week.
An email was sent to all middle school staff and families last night. Principal Kim Eymann and Superintendent Mike Lucas wrote that they were "concerned and upset that this was seen by students and staff."
The email read, in part, “Yesterday a quote from Adolf Hitler was displayed on a board in one of our hallways. This is not acceptable here at WMS and we sincerely apologize for the insensitivity this showed to our Jewish population and to other students.
We want to talk about why this is a hard topic and why it is considered insensitive. Hitler used hatred of others, particularly Jews, to stoke nationalism and grab control of the German government.”
The district says it is a personnel issue so school leaders cannot share how they are handling it internally, but it did share that they used the morning announcements time and 30-minute homeroom period in all classrooms to discuss the severity of this situation with students.
The district is also working with the Anti-Defamation League of Omaha to determine appropriate videos and talking points that will be shared with students during homerooms for the rest of the week.
In a letter to district families, the school system included a link to the Holocaust Museum Website and an educational film, “The Path to Nazi Genocide.”
To learn more about the Holocaust, visit the museum website: ushmm.org/
