PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon house minority leader Vikki Breese-Iverson and her teenage son issued public apologies on June 3 after a photo was posted to the internet showing the Crook County High School student and another unnamed person performing Nazi salutes next to a Nazi-era German warplane at the Erickson Aircraft Collection in Madras during a recent school field trip.
Breese-Iverson said in a statement shared to social media that her family does not condone the behavior her son showed during the field trip. The Republican representative from Crook County added that she has been in talks with school administrators about setting consequences for her son’s actions.
“This week, my son was on a field trip at the Erickson Aircraft Collection which hosts a retired Nazi airplane,” Breese-Iverson said. “Out of extremely poor judgment and without considering the impact this photo would have, he posed in front of the aircraft. My husband and I have been in contact with the school administration about enforcing adequate consequences for his actions, both at school and at home. In no way do my husband or I condone these actions, and we apologize to anyone impacted by this image. Attached is an image of his formal apology.”
Breese-Iverson also posted a photo of a hand-written apology that she says her son wrote in response to the photo.
“When I was on a field trip with World War 2 planes, I walked past a plane with a Nazi symbol and posed for a photo that my friend took and posted,” the hand-written apology reads. “It was a dumb mistake. I really get that now. Doing something bad in the moment without thinking can cause harm. I apologize to anyone that was offended and have accepted the punishment handed down to me by the school and my parents.”
The Crook County School District issued a response to the incident’s widespread news coverage on June 5. While the school declined to say what consequences Breese-Iverson’s son was given in response to the field trip photo, it said that Crook County public schools have existing disciplinary policies for discriminatory behavior and follow state laws regarding symbols of hate in school.
“Crook County School District does not condone or tolerate any form of discrimination, hate speech or the use of symbols that are considered hate speech,” the Crook County School District said. “School administrators take issues like this seriously and utilize existing policies for appropriate disciplinary action.”
The school district said that it will not provide any additional information about the incident in adherence with student privacy laws.
“School administrators respond immediately and appropriately to any bias complaints or hate speech incidents when they occur,” Crook County School District. “We also believe that education is an important component by giving students an opportunity to self-correct and learn from their actions.”