Middle school teacher uses Nazi salute, says to 'Heil Hitler,' but district claims she did not 'intend to cause harm'

A Wisconsin middle school teacher allegedly made an antisemitic gesture and remark during her class, but she claimed she did not "intend to cause harm."

A parent newsletter was released called "Elmbrook Community Need to Know" on September 21, which described an incident that reportedly took place in an eighth-grade math teacher's class.

A female math teacher from Wisconsin Hills Middle School apparently gave the Nazi salute to her class, and then she went on to tell the students to respond with either "Heil Hitler" or "Heil [teacher's surname]."

After the incident gained traction online, the school decided to send a letter to all families following the incident. The letter that was sent home to all parents was similar to a message that was sent specifically to students and families impacted by the event earlier in the week, according to Fox News.

Fox News Digital apparently received a letter written by Principal Matt Schroede, which was sent to all families of the middle school on Friday. The letter acknowledged that the incident had occurred, and that an investigation was underway.

"Regrettably, one of our teachers made an antisemitic gesture and remark during class that is highly offensive to both Jewish and non-Jewish individuals, something we would not tolerate from any student or staff member at Wisconsin Hills," the letter said.

"Following a complete investigation, it was our determination that the teacher did not intend to cause harm, yet it was a clear violation of our staff professional responsibilities."

The letter went on to say that over the course of the week, "disciplinary action and corrective measures" were put in place, "including antisemitism education," per the report.

"To be clear, the behavior described above is not condoned nor does it represent the attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors of our staff members," the letter said. "As we do with our students, we will hold our staff to the highest standard of professionalism and respond quickly when that standard is not met."

However, an anonymous parent of Elmbrook schools is not convinced that this is an isolated event, noting that this was allegedly "part of a pattern of inappropriate behavior in staff at Elmbrook in the last few years."

The parent reportedly cited a sex survey provided to students, an inappropriate link in an email signature, and explicit books brought into the school that did not adhere to policy guidelines.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!