Controversial yearbook quote about Palestinians and Israel was taken out of context, investigation finds

Attorney Justin Petrarca discusses his investigation into a controversial quote that recently appeared in the Glenbrook South High School yearbook.
Courtesy of District 225

A student’s comment in Glenbrook South High School’s recent yearbook that appeared to praise the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel and subsequently sparked an emotional storm in the community was taken out of context and had nothing to do with that deadly violence, an investigation has found.

The student was actually referring to military actions that took place in the region years earlier, said attorney Justin Petrarca, who led the investigation into the controversy. Petrarca came to that conclusion after interviewing the students involved and reviewing a recording of the interview, he said.

“The quote does not mention October 7 anywhere,” Petrarca said during the School District 225 school board meeting at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook on Monday night. “It has nothing to do with October 7.”

Petrarca’s investigation also found that award-winning yearbook adviser Brenda Field knew about the quote before the yearbook was published and asked student editors about it but did not try to remove it from the book, Petrarca said. Field also did not consult with Glenbrook South school administrators about the quote, which she should have done under district policy, Petrarca said.

Field – who Petrarch said had “no oversight” of the yearbook’s production process – and the yearbook’s editors failed to follow journalistic ethics guidelines in this matter, Petrarch said.

Petrarch’s report is expected to be posted on the district’s website on Tuesday, officials said.

The school board did not take action on the matter on Monday, but may do so at its July 8 meeting, board President Bruce Doughty said.

The controversy began with comments in the latest issue of the Etruscan yearbook. A quote on a timeline attributed to a student allegedly suggested that she was happy about the Hamas-led terrorist attacks and the war that followed, which is still raging.

District 225 officials called the quote anti-Semitic after learning about it in late May after copies of the yearbook were distributed. Doughty repeated that characterization Monday night.

In May, officials asked Petrarch to investigate how the comments came to be published.

On Monday, Petrarca said he interviewed the student, whose name was not published by the Daily Herald, as well as two students from the yearbook editorial staff, Field and school administrators. Three editors in chief declined to be interviewed, Petrarca said.

According to Petrarca, a yearbook staff member was tasked with soliciting a commentary on the war in Gaza from the student who ultimately provided the quote. The commentary was requested as part of a timeline of the year’s events, Petrarca said.

The student was asked about the war in Gaza and spoke about her memories of a previous conflict, Petrarch said. She said she woke up after that previous attack “and saw what Palestine was doing and I was happy because they were finally defending themselves.”

“During the entire interview process, the term ‘October 7’ was never used or mentioned,” Petrarca said.

Petrarca said the student only found out after publication that her comment had been used out of context.

Doughty called Petrarch’s report “shocking and disturbing.” Authorities must address the situation and take action to prevent a repeat, he said.

The school will offer replacement yearbooks or stickers to cover the page with the quote, Doughty announced.

Glenbrook South yearbook investigation begins as community tensions rise