East Brook Middle School in Paramus, New Jersey, has recalled copies of its 2026 student yearbook after a photograph of Adolf Hitler as an infant was included among the student images published in the school edition.
According to school officials, the image was submitted by a student for inclusion in the yearbook and went through the school’s review process before being sent to print. The photo was not detected during the review stage and was discovered only after the yearbooks had already been distributed and students had begun signing copies for one another.
School Responds Immediately
Principal Ryan Aupperlee ordered that all copies of the yearbook be collected on Saturday, the same day students received them, before they could be taken home.
In a letter sent to parents, Aupperlee called the inclusion of the image “unacceptable” and said it had no place in a publication created to represent East Brook students.
“The presence of this image in a yearbook made for our students does not reflect who we are or what East Brook stands for,” Aupperlee wrote, adding that the school “condemns its inclusion without reservation.”
Investigation Underway
The Paramus Police Department was notified about the incident, and information was forwarded to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
Paramus Superintendent Sean Adams said the district is working with the yearbook publisher on a solution that would allow the removal of the image while preserving the handwritten messages and signatures already added by students and staff.
Broader Concerns Over School Yearbook Oversight
The incident comes after other recent controversies involving school yearbooks in New Jersey.
In 2024, a yearbook at an East Brunswick school was recalled after a photo of a Jewish student organization was mistakenly replaced with a photo of a Muslim student group. An independent review later determined that the mistake resulted from a staff error rather than intentional wrongdoing.
The Paramus case has renewed questions about how schools and publishers review student publications before they reach students and families.
School officials said they are focused on correcting the mistake and ensuring stronger review procedures moving forward.
Source: East Brook Middle School / Paramus Public Schools statements; Bergen County authorities.