MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) – A Tennessee elementary school will no longer have a student portray Adolf Hitler in its living history exhibit after a group of students began giving Nazi salutes.
Rutherford County school district spokesman James Evans said in an email Wednesday that the fifth-grade student portraying Hitler was supposed to give a speech and a Nazi salute as part of the exhibit. An investigation by the McFadden School of Excellence principal later found that other students had started giving the salute as well both in and out of rehearsals, Evans said.
The issue became public after Middle Tennessee State University professor Keith Gamble tweeted on Tuesday that his daughter was sent to the principal’s office for yelling at the other children to stop.
Evans said the girl was not punished but was taken to the office because she was upset and would not calm down. He also said no staff members were disciplined.
“We do plan to use a different means of covering the history standard in the future, and we consider this a teachable moment for our staff and students,” Evans wrote.