Gurnee School Apologizes For 'Hitler Cartoon' Assignment

GURNEE, IL — Gurnee's Woodland District 50 faced criticism, apologizing to parents on Thursday after students were given an assignment to draw a cartoon depicting Europe's pre-WWII policy of appeasing Nazi Germany.

Superintendent Joy Swoboda and school board President Carla Little sent out an email Thursday, saying the "fun" and "cartoonish" nature of the activity didn't represent the school's intent or policies, according to the Lake County News-Sun.

"We haven't had a huge outcry right now, but we did feel it was an important issue to address," said spokeswoman Carolyn Waller Gordon. The News-Sun reported Gordon as saying the email was sent to those who signed up to receive district communications.

Kelly Masterton, whose son in the class who was assigned the cartoon, had some more questions. The News-Sun reported she was reviewing his work online when she saw the assignment "Hitler cartoon." She was concerned that the assignment would have the effect of making light of the events that took place in WWII.

"I know he has seen these type of images before but not in this context and not on the school computer. While researching this he read articles that are just disturbing," Masterton told Patch. She added he came home formulating opinions based on what he saw online "instead of being taught that [those articles] are incorrect."

Masterton said they are leaving the school district, not specifically because of this assignment, but "based on other similar events." She referenced an assignment when her son and his classmates were asked to write about the worst day of their lives. He wrote about the day his father, a police officer, died. The teacher gave him a B-minus for punctuation, grammar and spelling, she said.

The Daily Herald reported the assignment, called "If You Give a Hitler a Country," was based on the children's book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," about an insatiable rodent.

The assignment students received depicted a "My Little Pony" character donning a Nazi uniform, with a Hitler-style mustache and hair, doing a Nazi salute.

Dan Umansky, a district parent, said "There's got to be a better way to teach our kids about the horrific things Hitler did," according to the Herald. "I'm looking forward to their explanation."

Top image provided