East Brunswick Yearbook investigation finds photo error was not malicious

EAST BRUNSWICK – An independent investigation into the false photo and missing names of the Jewish Student Union in this year’s East Brunswick High School yearbook has determined it was a “most regrettable error.” The report, released June 18, by attorney Yaacov Brisman of Brisman Law in Passaic, who was hired by the school district to investigate the incident that has rocked the community, concluded that the publication of the false photo was not intentional. The report was released the same day as the high school’s graduation ceremony.

“Although (the senior yearbook adviser) was mistaken about the date she placed the photograph on the page, there is no denying that she placed it herself. Furthermore, (the senior yearbook adviser) admitted that she placed the wrong photograph on the page. I have found (the senior yearbook adviser) credible and see no basis for believing that she acted out of any hostility, whether racial, religious or political, toward Jewish or Muslim students,” the 14-page report states.

The name of the senior yearbook consultant was removed from the report available on the school district’s website.

When the yearbook was distributed earlier this month, the photo of the Jewish Student Union mistakenly featured a photo of the Muslim Club and did not list any Jewish Student Union names.

The report said the senior yearbook adviser took responsibility for completing all club pages because the pages were “boring and monotonous” and “students did not want to do them.” In addition, the yearbook club did not have the required information for all clubs by the April 11 midnight deadline, including the Jewish Student Union, which did not submit a list.

The report also states that the senior yearbook adviser acted negligently at best, but “her actions can also be considered negligent.”

“She should have paid more attention to detail in selecting the photo. She admittedly only ‘assumed’ it was the right photo. The photo clearly shows several students who are identifiable as Muslims. Even considering the diversity of the students, this should have prompted greater attention. In addition, as an experienced educator, (the yearbook adviser) should have had a heightened awareness and sensitivity toward students of Jewish ethnicity and/or faith in light of national and international events. This sensitivity also applies to students of Muslim faith, who were clearly identifiable by their clothing and who were also mislabeled,” the report said.

The report indicates that on April 11, the senior yearbook adviser was working on finalizing the yearbook, including completing the entry for the Jewish Student Association in the “Groups” section.

She remembers typing the word “Jewish” into the search bar on the yearbook computer system and opening a folder titled “Jewish/Coptic/Muslim” (a reference to the school’s religious clubs), which contained four photographs, including three group photos.

Two photos were marked “in use” and the senior yearbook adviser knew that the Muslim and Coptic clubs were already finished. Since the last group photo was not marked “in use,” she “thought” it was the Jewish Student Union group photo. She pulled the photo out and placed it in the Jewish Student Union space in the yearbook.

Earlier:‘Obvious anti-Semitic’ error in East Brunswick yearbook under investigation

The report says it was too late to ask the teacher for a list to accompany the photo, and that the Jewish Student Union’s teacher advisor had not responded to a previous request for a list. The report says the yearbook was discussed with the principal in early April on a small laptop screen, making it difficult to spot errors.

The senior yearbook adviser expressed “deep remorse for her mistake” and was sad that her error had caused an uproar.

“She harbors ‘no ill intent toward any group of people.’ She was visibly upset when discussing the possibility that she may have done this intentionally and vehemently denied it,” the report said.

Mayor Brad Cohen initially described the incident as “blatantly anti-Semitic” and demanded answers as to how it could have happened. School board member Victor Valeski, on the other hand, said he was “devastated and frustrated” and apologized for the mistake that affected both Jewish and Muslim students.

‘Shame on you’:East Brunswick school board criticized for yearbook error

In addition to the name of the senior yearbook adviser, the names of other staff and students were redacted in the report.

The report describes the lead yearbook adviser as an eight-year district employee who previously worked as a teacher at Chittick Elementary School and as a special education math teacher at Churchill Junior High School, and who took a permanent position as a special education math teacher at East Brunswick High School three years ago with no disciplinary record. This was her first year as lead adviser for the yearbook club after a colleague “convinced” her to do so, the report said.

The report also says that “nobody” wants to work at the yearbook, even though the advisor position comes with a salary that is “not high enough” to entice employees to apply for the job. Besides senior yearbook advisor, the other position for the yearbook is financial advisor.

The report recommends that the district review the entire yearbook production process, noting that the first step was to order a larger computer monitor to review the pages.

More:Error in East Brunswick yearbook prompts school board to act

Other recommendations include formal training of the lead yearbook adviser by the yearbook vendor. The East Brunswick High School principal or designee should review each page of the yearbook and sign off on printed and online copies. To avoid errors, the position of an additional lead yearbook adviser should be approved. Yearbook folder titles and labels in the photo library should be reviewed to be unique to each club, group, or sport. A detailed checklist and timeline should be created of what information is needed for each page. All club advisers should provide information requested by yearbook staff in a timely manner.

“We must now focus on healing the deep pain and division that has arisen in our school and community,” Valeski said in a press release.

The report states that the superintendent believes the high school principal should make the “final corrections” to the yearbook before it is printed.

“We are very proud of our diversity and celebrate all the students, teachers and staff who make East Brunswick a model district. In partnership with the school board, we will ensure that the mistakes made are held accountable and will take action, including implementing a tolerance training program at the start of the next school year, to ensure this never happens again,” said Valeski, who did not specify what other types of accountability measures or whether disciplinary action would be taken.

A spokesman for the New Jersey office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) praised efforts to investigate the yearbook error and publish the results of the independent investigation.

“The outcome of the investigation confirms what CAIR-NJ already knew: The Muslim Students Association played no role in this incident and had no knowledge of the error prior to the yearbooks’ release,” Aya Elamroussi, CAIR-NJ’s interim communications manager, said in a statement.

“CAIR-NJ condemns the mayor’s inflammatory statement, which many Muslims believe is partly responsible for the backlash Muslim students have faced following a mistake they had nothing to do with. It is shameful that an elected official would jump to conclusions on such a sensitive issue, especially given the ongoing tensions in our social climate. At a time when it is easy to create divisions, politicians should always push for unity and understanding – not unfounded hostility toward Muslim students,” Elamroussi said.

Email: [email protected]

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, covering crime, court cases and other chaos. For unlimited access, subscribe or activate your digital account today.

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