• An elementary school in Georgia has taken flak for its new logo, and has since paused its rollout.
  • Concerned parents highlighted the similarities between the logo's eagle and Nazi iconography.
  • The school has explained that the eagle in its design was based on a US army colonel's wings.

An elementary school in Georgia has taken flak for rolling out a new logo that parents and members of the Jewish community say closely resembles a Nazi symbol.

The new logo for the East Side Elementary School was revealed on Monday. A message sent to parents about the logo said that the design was chosen to "represent the eagle soaring into excellence."

Some parents highlighted, however, that the logo also bore some similarity to the coat of arms of Nazi Germany, a known hate symbol used by white supremacists to this day.

"We hope that you love our new designs as much as we do," read the message sent by the school, which added that they would be placed on logos and badges. 

According to CBS News, the school happens to be located across the street from a synagogue. 

Stacy Efrat, a Jewish parent of an East Side Elementary student, told WSB-TV Atlanta she was angered by the logo.

"I want to see the logo not only taken away, I want a direct apology to our community. Not just the Jewish community but the entire community," Efrat said.

Speaking to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mike Albuquerque, the father of two students enrolled in the next school year, said he did not want to see his children wearing that logo. 

"Really it's a big oversight of the county and everyone involved in the process who reviewed that, to not call out the fact that this looks like Nazi iconography," Albuquerque told the news outlet. "Or maybe, who knows, somebody did call it out and it wasn't heard."

The American Jewish Committee also highlighted the Georgia school logo's "striking and uncomfortable resemblance to the Nazi eagle" in a tweet.

 

The rollout of the logo has since been halted. 

"We understand and strongly agree that similarities to Nazi symbolism are unacceptable," the school district said in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Although this design was based on the U.S. Army colonel's eagle wings, stakeholder input has been and continues to be important to our schools."

The East Side Elementary School did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

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