Education

Middle School Teacher Defends Hitler As An Inspirational Figure: ‘Strong Leadership Qualities’

(Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

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Reagan Reese Contributor
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A California middle school teacher praised Adolf Hitler as a leader while displaying his photo in the classroom, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Tabitha Barry, a middle school teacher at Carmel Valley High School in San Diego, California, placed a photo of Hitler in her classroom as a part of a lesson next to leaders such as former president John F. Kennedy, Indian spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., according to the Jerusalem Post. After a student voiced their disapproval of the Hitler next to the other leaders, Barry defended Hitler’s place amongst the photos.

“Hitler may have done some bad things, but he also had strong leadership qualities,” Barry said to the student, according to the Jerusalem Post. (RELATED: ‘Frightened And Concerned’: Anti-Semitic Attacks Ignored By Arizona School District, Biden Admin Investigation Reveals)

The San Dieguito Union High School District reported that Barry was asked to remove the photo following parent complaints, the Jerusalem Post reported. In May, Carmel Valley High School underwent the Anti-Defamation League’s anti-bias training titled, “No Place For Hate.”

“A lesson in world history included a discussion of various historical figures, along with images of them on a whiteboard in the classroom,” the school district said in a statement to the Jerusalem Post. “The images were directly related to the curriculum and displayed during a lesson. After a concern was raised regarding one of the images and the impact it had on a student, it was taken down.”

Antisemitism is entering school districts across the country through ethnic studies curriculums and teachers unions. Diversity, equity and inclusion curriculums have also been criticized for being based in antisemitism as it is pushed into schools.

The San Dieguito Union High School District and Barry did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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