Middle school forced to apologize after baby photo of HITLER is found nestled inside kids' yearbook

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 22:08, 29 June 2026 | Updated: 22:11, 29 June 2026 A New Jersey middle school has issued an apology after a baby photo of Adolf Hitler was found inside students' yearbooks.  What was meant to be part of a nice send-off for the end of the school year quickly turned sour after administrators discovered the disturbing image in the publication's baby photos section, Principal Ryan Aupperlee said in a letter obtained by Patch.  '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,' Aupperlee wrote on Friday.  'We immediately collected the yearbooks so the image would not remain in circulation.'  He went on to share his disappointment in learning that the image was of the German dictator when he was an infant in 1889. The photo has become a symbol of hate and antisemitism in public, educational, and professional settings.  '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,' Aupperlee wrote.  'Adolf Hitler represented hatred, antisemitism, and the horrors of the Holocaust, including the murder of six million Jews. An image of him has no place in our yearbook created for our students.  Yearbooks had to be pulled from students at East Brook Middle School in Paramus, New Jersey, after a baby picture of Adolf Hitler was found inside  The photo was taken in 1889 and has become a symbol of hate and antisemitism in public and educational settings 'It does not reflect who we are or what East Brook stands for, and we condemn its inclusion without reservation,' Aupperlee continued.  The principal acknowledged that the joyous celebration was marred by the incident, but administrators are actively trying to make it right after many of the yearbooks were already signed by teachers and students.  'We are working on a plan to provide every student with a corrected yearbook as quickly as possible, and we will follow up with you shortly with the specifics, including how we will handle books that have already been signed by friends and teachers,' Aupperlee wrote. It remains unclear how the image got inside the book and who is responsible for it.  The school and the Paramus Police Department are investigating the finding, Chief Robert Guidetti told the outlet.  'The Paramus Police Department was notified of the incident. A bias incident report was completed and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office was notified,' Guidetti stated.  Mayor Chris DiPiazza also released a statement on social media following the discovery.  '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.  East Brook Middle School Principal Ryan Aupperlee (pictured) shared his disappointment in learning that the image was of the German dictator when he was an infant in 1889 Hitler was the leader of the Nazi regime, and was responsible for the death of six million Jews during the Holocaust '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,' he wrote on Facebook.  Parents and community members quickly flocked to his post, as many of them shared that they were pleased with how the school handled the incident.  'Thank you! I think the year book should be pulled and people should be held accountable,' one wrote.  Others agreed with the decision to pull the yearbooks, but questioned how the image was approved to be in there in the first place.  Someone wrote: 'This is terrible, but I must inquire as to why the middle schools do not have appropriate teacher oversight of the yearbook?'  'And where was the yearbook committee that let this slide!,' another user commented.  The Daily Mail contacted Aupperlee for comment.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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