A photo posted to the Weber/Davis County Moms Facebook page shows a student dressed as Hitler during a Halloween parade at Creekside Elementary School in Kaysville.
KAYSVILLE – The Creekside Elementary School Halloween parade featured children in all sorts of costumes. But one 5th grader came dressed as Adolf Hitler with a mustache, brown shirt, and a Nazi arm band.
LaTaisha Lee, whose son also attends the school, saw the costume. She says many parents were as shocked as she was, and they immediately complained to the administration.
The boy’s parents were called in, but he was allowed to stay on campus, though not in costume.
However, Lee says the 5th grader later harassed her son and other minority students.
“He was doing the ‘Hail Hitler’ sign where you put your hand to your chest and then stick it straight out in the air. And then I was informed later by my child that he was doing it on the playground when he was out of costume,” Lee says.
After everything, Lee feels nervous for her son.
“I don’t know if that child has any ill feelings towards minority students. I don’t know what he’s being taught at home, but it makes me a little fearful for my son being there. Just that there’s a possibility that he could be targeted because he is a minority,” Lee said.
However, she says her son has never had a problem or been targeted by others before on campus.
The Davis School District said in a statement that, “It does not tolerate speech, images, or conduct that portray or promote hate in any form. The district is taking the matter very seriously and is investigating every aspect of the situation.”
A teacher who may have mistaken the costume for Charlie Chaplin has been placed on paid administrative leave, as has the school’s principal.
Lee cannot understand how anyone could mistake the Hitler costume for something else, but she does defend the principal.
“He’s a great guy…He’s very, very involved with all the students at the school. And I think that maybe he just didn’t see the costume prior to the parade. I think that the teacher and the parents hold most of the responsibility for letting him be in the parade,” Lee says.
The photo of the boy dressed as Hitler has also been posted to the Weber/Davis County Moms Facebook page. While some object to the costume, others believe the 5th grader should have been allowed to wear it because they feel not letting him do so violates his freedom of speech or whitewashes history.