An Arkansas school apologized Sunday for publishing politically inaccurate information in its yearbook.
Josh Thompson, principal of Bentonville’s Lincoln junior high school, sent a letter to students and parents apologizing after the 2020-2021 yearbook’s current events section claimed that former President Donald Trump was not impeached, referred to the BLM protests as “riots,” and labeled a picture of the Capitol riot a “protest.” The yearbook’s political claims were “inaccurate, biased and political,” Thompson said.
“Bentonville Schools strives to maintain neutrality when referencing political topics,” he continued. “Contrarily, the current events selection of the yearbook contains inaccurate information along with images and captions that are both biased and political.”
The yearbook’s false information does not represent the school’s values, Thompson explained. (RELATED: WaPo Fact Checkers End ‘False Claims Project,’ No ‘Plans’ To Start One For Biden)
The Bentonville School District is apologizing for a yearbook that the Lincoln Junior High School principal said had “inaccurate information” and “biased” and “political” photos and captions.https://t.co/as0WIm5hRV
— 40/29 Kendall Ashman (@4029Kendall) May 25, 2021
Thompson promised that the school’s administration will review its “vetting process” to ensure that future yearbooks reflect the school’s values. “We can and will do better to provide a quality yearbook to students that can be a cherished item as they reminisce about their time at school,” the letter stated.
He also offered to refund parents who had purchased the yearbook for the “numerous mistakes and inaccuracies,” the letter concluded.
The yearbook included a picture of Trump with the caption “President Trump WAS NOT Impeached,” even though the former president had been impeached and acquitted twice during his time in office. A photo of an overturned car was featured in the book captioned “Black Lives Matter riots.”