Leaders Condemn Anti-Semitic Sign At Portland School

PORTLAND, CT — Local and state leaders are condemning an anti-Semitic sign that was placed outside Brownstone Intermediate School in Portland over the weekend, according to WTNH News-8. The images likened Superintendent Charles Britton and Board of Education Chairwoman Sharon Peters to Adolf Hitler above caricatures of masked children.

The Portland Board of Education released a statement calling the images "anti-Semitic" and "abhorrent." The board defended its decision to require masks to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and staff, according to WTNH News-8.

Other leaders including Attorney General William Tong and state legislators also condemned the anti-Semitic images.

Portland has increased security at all schools following the incident, according to WFSB 3-TV. As a precautionary measure, there was an increased police presence at all district schools on Monday.

The board noted in a statement on the incident that while there have been those who disagreed with the decision on masks, they had voiced their criticisms at board meetings respectfully, WFSB 3-TV reported.

"We fully understand that the decisions we make affect the lives of all those involved with the schools," the statement reads. "The Board has and continues to encourage appropriate civil discourse at our meetings."

The news comes as another anti-Semitic incident occurred at Glastonbury High School. The school's 2021 yearbooks include an "inappropriate quote." A Hitler quote was included in the yearbook that was attributed to George Floyd, a Black man killed in Minnesota last year, WFSB 3-TV reported.

See related: 'Inappropriate Quote' Halts Glastonbury High School Yearbook