‘Highly unfortunate error’ led to swap of Jewish and Muslim student photos in N.J. yearbook

The mix-up, which was discovered after the yearbooks were distributed to seniors earlier this month, was not intentional or a bias incident, according to the investigation by a law firm hired by the school district.

Although the yearbook adviser was wrong about the date she placed the photograph on the page, she acknowledged she made the mistake, Brisman said. After seniors received their yearbooks and officials discovered the switch, East Brunswick’s mayor and local Jewish and Muslim groups released statements questioning whether it was a bias incident. The school district also heard from students at a school board meeting who described bullying, intimidation, antisemitism and bias in East Brunswick schools.

She only “assumed” the photo was the correct one, despite the clear evidence of students who are identifiably Muslim, he said. She also should have had “a heightened sense of awareness and sensitivity” surrounding Jewish students, in light of international events, he said. His report said yearbook photos for the Coptic Club, Muslim Student Association and Jewish Student Union clubs have historically been placed in one shared folder. The photo of the Muslim students was assigned three keywords, including the tag “MSA/JewishSU.”When the yearbook adviser searched “Jewish” to find the Jewish Student Union’s photo, the photo of the Muslim students appeared as a result because of the tag, according to the report.

“Reviewing pages on a small screen, particularly as the Yearbook nears completion makes it difficult to identify errors,” Brisman said in his report.

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