Loco Coco

The incident occurred at East Brook Middle School in Paramus, New Jersey. According to school officials, the image appeared in a collage of childhood photographs submitted as part of an annual yearbook tradition celebrating the graduating eighth-grade class. A teacher reportedly noticed the black-and-white photo after students had already begun signing each other’s yearbooks, leading administrators to immediately collect the books. 

In a letter sent to families, Principal Ryan Aupperlee called the inclusion of the image “unacceptable” and described it as a severe breach of the school’s values. He emphasized that Adolf Hitler symbolizes hatred, antisemitism, and the Holocaust, making the photograph wholly inappropriate for a school publication. The district announced that corrected yearbooks will be printed and distributed to students. 

Authorities, including the Paramus Police Department and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, have been notified. Officials have classified the matter as a bias incident, though reports indicate it is not currently being treated as a criminal offense. Investigators are working to determine exactly how the photograph was submitted, approved, and ultimately printed without being recognized during the editing process. 

News reports indicate that the image was submitted by a student as part of the baby photo collection. While the student responsible has reportedly been identified, school officials have stressed that the situation should be viewed as an opportunity for education and accountability rather than allowing one mistake to define a young person’s future. Community leaders have likewise emphasized that the incident does not reflect the values of the school or the Paramus community.