The Cobb County School District said Tuesday it’s halted the rollout of a new logo for an elementary school after parents pointed out similarities to Nazi iconography.
The logo for East Side Elementary in Marietta depicted an eagle, the school’s mascot, over the initials ES. The Nazi eagle, which was developed in the 1920s and later became a symbol for white supremacists worldwide, depicts an eagle holding a swastika in its talons.
Parents were notified of the new logo on Monday. It was chosen to “represent the eagle soaring into excellence and to honor the history of our great school,” the message to parents said. The district has been working with all schools to create logos, the message said.
The logo drew condemnation on social media.
“I don’t want to see my kids wearing that on their shirt,” said Mike Albuquerque, the father of two students who will attend the school next year. “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. Or maybe, who knows, somebody did call it out and it wasn’t heard.”
CaptionCredit: Contributed
Georgia’s second-largest school district said in a statement Tuesday it had halted the rollout of the logo and was reviewing necessary changes.
“We understand and strongly agree that similarities to Nazi symbolism are unacceptable,” the district said in a statement. “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.”
East Side Elementary is located across the street from a synagogue.
The logo controversy is only the latest related to antisemitism in Cobb schools. Last month, a group began posting hot pink billboards around metro Atlanta that are challenging viewers to fight antisemitism, in part in response to incidents last school year in Cobb.
Graffiti depicting swastikas was found in two Cobb County high schools during the Jewish High Holidays. Several Cobb middle school students were disciplined earlier this year for sharing antisemitic imagery on social media.
CaptionCredit: Contributed
“If Atlanta is too busy to hate, why is there a swastika at my kid’s school?” reads a billboard that went up on Briarcliff Road in Atlanta.
Antisemitic incidents in Georgia more than doubled between 2020 and 2021, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League. Georgia tallied 49 incidents in 2021.
“This is not the first time Cobb County schools have been tone-deaf to antisemitism,” said Dov Wilker, director of the American Jewish Committee Atlanta region, in a statement about the logo. “Pretending that antisemitism doesn’t exist won’t make it go away. The children who attend Cobb County schools — and their families — deserve better.”
Cobb school logo resembling Nazi crest sparks outrage
Scottie's Playtime 
Scottie, I sure hope this was not purposeful. Keith
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Hello Keith. Hard to see how it couldn’t have been deliberate. I seriously doubt someone came up with that eagle drawn just that way of the cuff. This was an attempt to sneak a Nazi symbol in through the back door. Maybe figuring that once done it wouldn’t be changed. Hugs
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Scottie, someone tried to slip someone a mickey or maybe it was planned by the administrators. I am glad they are getting the much needed spotlight on them for their efforts. They definitely harmed their brand and will now be the source of google searches about the Nazi logo school. Keith
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Glad to read there was a reaction to this.
If they wanted a soaring eagle they could have had one in profile, legs tucked up.
Because that is how eagles soar.
Take care Scottie
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Hello Roger. Yes it was good it was caught in time, but you know some group really hope they could get a Nazi symbol as the school icon. These people loved to name schools after confederate generals and politicians, now they are doing Nazi symbols. Think they are trying to say something? Hugs
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Anyone in the USA who tries to embrace the ‘Nazi’ deserves this put-down:
‘Malmedy December 1944’
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Hello Roger. I got taken to task on Keith’s blog because I said I wouldn’t stand for Nazi to be OK in my country and got accused of threatening violence. Go figure. I see no reason to coddle white supremacy and bigotry at all. I never said do any violence, but I sure will work to make it socially taboo to be a white supremacist fascist. Hugs.
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I am with you all the way Scottie. I appreciate the nobility and fair-mindedness of those who disagree with an opinion but maintain it has a right to be aired, not the argument though.
These days my political writings are constantly influenced by my heritage not just as a brit but as a European. A piece of land which arguably in terms of area and populations has been fought over more than any other in Human History.
Thus there have been and will be systems which simply cannot be tolerated because they rely on Intolerance and Suppression. Paradoxically they cannot be tolerated and should be suppressed- but there is the lesson the tenets they embrace will be turned on them.
Of course being European my own solutions often tend to the extreme and thus we can be in danger of being the thing we hate (There’s the cycle of paradox).
Therefore, as I have told Jill, it is folk such as you and Keith I can depend on to rein in my type from our own excesses (‘Benevolent’ Authoritarian Central State Control – no it doesn’t work either, I’ve carried out thought experiments on it).
Take care you guys.
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