Antisemitic quote printed in Franklin Regional School District yearbook

The Franklin Regional School District is under fire after an antisemitic quote was printed in the yearbook.

District leadership says a high school senior is facing disciplinary action after his quote inside the yearbook referenced a figure commonly associated with Holocaust conspiracy theories. 

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said it learned about it through a concerned parent. 

"It was something that both minimized the number of deaths in the Holocaust and wished for more deaths within the Jewish community," said David Heyman with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Six million Jewish people died during the Holocaust. 

"It's troubling that a high school senior would decide that this is the legacy they wanted to leave in their high school yearbook," Heyman said.

Heyman said it's an "obscure reference" that people may not have initially understood. 

The Franklin Regional School District says the high school administrative team was made aware of the statement by concerned students after yearbook distribution.

In a statement, the district says in part, "The district immediately launched an investigation, and it was determined that the yearbook advisor was unaware of the meaning behind the statement, leading to its publication in the yearbook. The Franklin Regional School District does not condone this type of behavior, and there is no room for hate speech in our community."

Heyman said he hopes that next time there's a reference from a student that doesn't make sense, there's some investigation before it's published. 

The district says it did consider republishing, but it wasn't feasible to collect and redistribute all the yearbooks. The district says it's reviewing its yearbook development and approval procedures to determine what additional safeguards may be necessary moving forward.