Alabama school system faulted for response to Nazi salute

Source: Associated Press

Alabama school system faulted for response to Nazi salute

By JAY REEVES
February 11, 2022

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama school system’s “disconcerting” response to complaints from a Jewish student that a teacher had classmates perform a Nazi salute shows a lack of commitment to diversity, an organization that promotes civil and human rights said Friday.

While Mountain Brooks Schools issued a statement saying it was “deeply apologetic for the pain” caused by a lesson that “lacked sensitivity,” the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute questioned actions by the system, which previously ditched a diversity program produced by an organization that combats antisemitism.

“It is in this light that we find a more recent incident involving the Nazi salute displayed by students in a Mountain Brook classroom particularly disconcerting, as it shows a conspicuous lack of preparation on the part of administrators to discuss, teach and lead in this area,” the city-owned educational institute said in a statement.

A spokesman for the school system, located in a nearly all-white, wealthy suburb of Birmingham, did not immediately return an email message seeking comment.

In a story first reported by the Birmingham-based Southern Jewish Life, a Jewish student said he was shocked last month when a history teacher at Mountain Brook High School had classmates stand and give a stiff-armed Nazi salute during a lesson on the way symbols change.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-alabama-mountains-birmingham-race-and-ethnicity-3fbbd846aa0743b7a1ec2fd23c9e0e6a