PARAMUS, N.J. — A black-and-white photograph of Adolf Hitler as an infant was included in the baby pictures section of the yearbook for graduating eighth graders at East Brook Middle School here, leading school officials to recall all copies shortly after they were distributed and launching an investigation by local law enforcement.
The image, a widely known portrait of Hitler taken shortly after his birth in 1889, appeared among photos of students who were infants around 2012 and 2013. It was submitted by one student as part of the customary collection of baby pictures for the yearbook’s collage-style section. The yearbooks were printed and some had already been given to students before the photograph was identified.
School administrators moved quickly to collect the books after the discovery, which occurred as students began signing one another’s copies in recent weeks. Officials are now preparing corrected versions without the image.
In a letter sent to families on June 25, Principal Ryan Aupperlee wrote that the school had “learned that the baby pictures section of the yearbook contained an image that was later identified as an infant photograph of Adolf Hitler.”
“We immediately collected the yearbooks so the image would not remain in circulation,” Mr. Aupperlee said in the letter. “I want to be direct with you: the presence of this image is unacceptable. 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.”
He continued: “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 school said it is cooperating with an investigation by the Paramus Police Department and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, which has classified the matter as a bias incident. The student who submitted the photograph has been identified.
Paramus Mayor Chris DiPiazza expressed disappointment, telling reporters that the episode did not reflect the community. “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,” he said. “It doesn’t represent Paramus.”
Some parents and educators described the submission as a misguided prank by a student and emphasized the need for accountability without long-term harm to the child’s future. A parent told local news outlets that the student should face consequences to understand the seriousness of the act, but should not have the incident define their life. A math teacher at the school echoed similar sentiments about learning from the mistake.
East Brook Middle School, part of the Paramus Public Schools district in this affluent Bergen County suburb, serves students in grades six through eight. The incident has drawn attention from local Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, which has voiced concern over the inclusion of the image.
News reports, including video segments from ABC7, showed pages from the yearbook with the infant photograph circled and placed alongside a well-known adult portrait of Hitler for identification. The coverage highlighted the grid of student baby photos and the school’s official letter.
School officials said they remain committed to values of respect, inclusion and dignity, and they have asked for the community’s patience as they work to distribute revised yearbooks and address the matter.
