A Hitler-themed assignment at an Atlanta private school asked students to call the Nazi dictator a ‘solution seeker’ and ‘ethical decision maker’

US News

By Richard Pollina

An Adolf Hitler-themed question-and-answer assignment given to students at an Atlanta private school has sparked outrage among parents over its alleged anti-Semitic nature.

Eighth graders at Mount Vernon School in Atlanta were asked a series of questions asking them to rate certain characteristics of Adolf Hitler – the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, including anti-Semitic ideology fueled the Holocaust – as a leader, according to Fox. 5Atlanta.

One question posed to students was: “According to the Mount Vernon Mindset rubric, how would you rate Adolf Hitler as a “solution seeker”? »

A second question asked how would students “evaluate Adolf Hitler as an ethical decision maker?” »

For both questions, students had the option to select “Lacks evidence, close to expectations, meets expectations, exceeds expectations” to describe the ruthless dictator.

The bizarre questions sparked outrage among parents – many of whom feared they were anti-Semitic in nature, according to the outlet.

Students at the private school also found problems with the questions, with one telling the outlet that the assignment was “disturbing” and could be seen as glorifying the hawkish totalitarian leader.

“Obviously it seems horrible in the current context,” another student told the outlet. “Knowing Mount Vernon, we do some weird things here.”

The student added that the school is known for “trying to think outside the box” but shared that “a lot of times it doesn’t work.”

Several former students told Fox 5 they weren’t asked these questions in 8th grade.

While many parents and students were shaken by the assignment, one student believes the school attempted to ask a historical question that required students to use critical thinking.

“I can definitely understand why they would be upset, but overall I think it’s important to look at both sides of the coin in every situation, and I think it’s important to be able to compare and contrast everything happened in our world history, whether it was good or bad,” the student said.

After learning about the wording of the assignment’s questions, Mount Vernon officials said they removed it from the school’s curriculum.

Mount Vernon Principal Kristy Lundstrom wrote in a statement that the mission was “an exploration of World War II designed to strengthen students’ knowledge of factual events and understand the manipulation of fear exploited by Adolf Hitler in relation to with the Treaty of Versailles. »

“Immediately after this incident, I met with the school’s Head of Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Action, the Head of College, and a concerned rabbi and friend of the school. school that shared the perspective of some of our families and supported us in an in-depth examination of the mission and impact on the community.

“It is difficult and traumatic to discuss Adolf Hitler and the events of that period.”

The private school, located about 15 miles from downtown Atlanta, is a “coeducational day school for more than 1,200 students in grades K-12,” according to the school’s website.

“We are a school of research, innovation and impact. Grounded in Christian values, we prepare all students to be college-ready, globally competitive and engaged citizen leaders,” its mission statement says.