School Official Tells High School Students Hitler Was 'Good Leader' During Presentation
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MADISON, N.J. (CBS/AP) — School officials are apologizing to parents after a guest speaker told New Jersey high school students that Adolf Hitler was a "good leader" with "bad moral character and intentions." According to NJ.com, Nutley High Athletic Director Joe Piro made the controversial comments.
NJ.com reports Madison Schools Superintendent Mark Schwarz says in a letter sent to parents Sunday that the speaker's presentation was "unnecessarily provocative and insensitive."
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Schwarz says the presentation took place at an assembly Saturday aimed at promoting positive leadership values that all Madison High School students were required to attend.
He says the speaker showed the photo of Hitler as part of a side-by-side comparison with Martin Luther King Jr.
Piro apologized for the presentation.
"The presentation was not to offend anyone in or outside the Madison public school district. I am truly sorry if I did," Piro told NJ.com. "As a 20-year educator who has worked with a wide variety of students that come from very diverse backgrounds, I fully understand and recognize that Adolf Hitler was an evil man who used his skills in a horrific manner."
Schwarz says all presentations from outside speakers will now be screened in advance.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
