New Jersey school district seeks answers following a yearbook controversy where a photo of Muslim students replaced that of a Jewish group.
It came to our attention that in yearbooks only given to seniors, the Jewish Student Union is accompanied by a photograph unrelated to them. Additionally, their members' names were not included.
The school board has hired a private law firm to look into the issue after the superintendent conducted an initial investigation.
"I went through an initial internal probe," Valeski told CNN, "and I found, as a minimum, severe negligence in the proof-check process prior to final printing."
It's unknown who could have removed Jewish Student Union members' photo and names, replacing them with a picture of the school's Muslim Student Association's members.
East Brunswick's mayor labeled the incident a "clear anti-Semitic act."
"This action resulted in an image of Muslim students overlaying the original Jewish students' photo," the mayor posted on Facebook.
He urged officials to answer numerous questions, including how the incident happened, who was responsible, and how the individuals involved would be held accountable.
On Thursday night, the school board announced an independent group would investigate.
The law firm began working on the case on Friday, with no timeline for findings.
Jewish student receives threats
Valeski apologized on behalf of the East Brunswick Board of Education for the "distress, anguish, and suffering" this event has caused the Jewish students, their families, and the entire community.
"No prejudice is tolerated here, and we thoroughly examine all reported anti-Semitic events," Valeski wrote.
The Jewish Federation in Greater MetroWest New Jersey requested facts and accountability upon learning about photo and names modification potentially being intentional and malicious, or at least negligent.
The president of the school's Jewish Club, Charlotte Friedman, said, "It feels as if my Jewish identity as a student has been figuratively erased."
"After losing sleep and study time for exams, worrying about classmates targeting Jewish club members because they're Jewish," Friedman added during a school board meeting on Thursday night, "I want to ask: What if the roles were reversed?"
But the incident isn't just hurting Jewish students.
"I've received threats on social media, calling me a terrorist," a Muslim student named Zain shared with CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey.
Even though the Muslim Student Association "had no role in this," he felt forced to defend his community.
"I want to express my condolences to the Jewish community for the pain they're experiencing due to the yearbook's mix-up," Zain stated at Thursday's school board meeting. "I hope the Jewish photo reaches its just place once this issue gets resolved."
Another student at the meeting expressed sympathy but highlighted the double standards: "The Jewish community has been receiving support quickly, whereas our Muslim students received online abuse."
Making matters worse, he asked, "When will it be our turn?"
In a later post, the superintendent acknowledged the negative impact on Muslim students.
"I want to apologize to our Muslim student body and your families for the pain this has caused you," Valeski wrote on Wednesday. "The misplaced picture in the yearbook impacted them, too, and I'm sorry."
Meanwhile, seniors were asked to return their yearbooks to replace the page with the actual Jewish Student Union's photo and the names of club members.
The district has collaborated with publishers to reprint the yearbook page and distribute corrected ones. Underclassmen, who have not yet received their yearbooks, will also get incorrect copies.
"I don't have all the facts yet, but I'll provide an update when I do," Valeski wrote in the initial Facebook post. "I appeal to the people of East Brunswick to allow me to ascertain the truth before making judgments."
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The school board needs to address who was responsible for replacing the Jewish Student Union's photo and names with the Muslim Student Association's members in the yearbook, ensuring accountability for this action.
This incident has also affected Muslim students, as a Muslim student named Zain shared, receiving threats and feeling the need to defend his community due to the yearbook mix-up.
